HOUSTON -- When he came to the Houston Texans, he wasn't even the presumed starter, but safety Kendrick Lewis knew he had something to prove.
Quickly, he grew into an important part of what became a dominant Texans defense.
"There's blood in the water, we want the taste for more," Lewis said. "We want to continue to get better this offseason, continue to work hard, to start off faster than we did this season."
It's a nice idea for the Texans and one contingent on keeping together the core of a defense that has six key players headed for free agency. Lewis is one of those. This season, Lewis led the Texans with 84 tackles. He had four tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, six passes defensed, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
The Ed Reed experiment having failed in 2013, and safety Danieal Manning making more initially than the Texans wanted to pay him, the team entered last offseason with some major needs at safety. They looked to Lewis, a player who defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel drafted back in Kansas City, and Chris Clemons, a safety who spent the first four years of his career with the Miami Dolphins. Lewis rose to the top of that group quickly.
"I knew what type of year it [was]," Lewis said. "I bet on myself. I had to show these people. At the end of the day, all they can go off of is what I did my past years in Kansas City. I wanted to show them the player I am."
His knowledge of the defense and his ability to properly line up his teammates in the backfield were boons. Lewis took every advantage he had and worked in hopes that it would pay off for him.
All too familiar with the uncertainty that comes with being a pending free agent, Lewis is trying not to worry too much about what his future holds. He's done his part so far.
"It's a deal that you just gotta be patient and let it play out," Lewis said. "... I feel like I did a pretty good job as far as upping my play from my previous years. I put all I can do on the field and let the chips fall where they may."