When taking a look at the Houston Texans roster, it is hard to imagine that safety Eddie Pleasant is one of the longest tenured players on the team. Pleasant is one of thirteen players left from the pre-O’Brien era of Texans football. Only seven of his teammates have been here longer than the high energy safety.
Pleasant doesn’t get caught up with where camp is being held - whether at The Greenbrier or in Houston, he knows it is time to work to prepare for the season.
“Me personally, it really doesn't matter. Rain, snow, cold, it got to be done,” Pleasant said of training camp. “It feels good to have a break from the heat but at the end, no matter where we are at, we have to do camp.”
Pleasant arrived to the Texans in 2011 as a rookie free agent out of Oregon and found a way make it to the practice squad. Once he was signed to the active roster, Pleasant never look back. He has made himself a staple in the locker room, and on both defense and special teams.
“I still remember my first year and I tell a lot of the young guys out here, you think that first year it is long and it is, but once you look up, you're going to be on year five or six,” Pleasant said of the time he has already spent with the Texans.
He remains a symbol for the rookie free agents who are fighting to get into the league, looking to sustain their roles in a league full of turnover year-to-year. Pleasant continues to be an open book for the younger players on the roster, especially the undrafted rookies.
“A lot of those guys already have the mentality and knows what it takes or they wouldn't be here,” Pleasant explained of the rookie free agents. “A lot of those guys, undrafted free agents, they come in hungry.”
The hunger continues to push Pleasant on the field to put his best work on the field and he knows that the rookie free agents are aware of what they are getting into when they arrive to the team.
“We are all grown men out here,” Pleasant stated. “They have been knowing about football for a while they know that when you're undrafted, your opportunities are a lot more slim than someone that is drafted.”
One of the silent leaders on the team, Pleasant remains one of the examples for the younger players to follow. The years might have flown by and the changes continue to come, but Pleasant continues to be a constant in the organization.