BALTIMORE, MD – Years before Blake Cashman emerged as the leading tackler on the division champion Texans’ defense, he was an overlooked high school football player hoping for a scholarship.
Due to an injury and not attending college football camps where he could have been exposed to recruiters, Cashman was lightly recruited out of high school in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He enrolled at the University of Minnesota as a walk-on after considering North Dakota State, Minnesota-Duluth and St. Thomas where he would have played football and basketball.
Recommended Videos
“Not having that exposure, that hurt,” Cashman said. “But, honestly, I think it was the best thing to happen to me.”
A former high school cornerback, running back, safety and wide receiver, Cashman was initially recruited by former Golden Gophers coach Jerry Kill as a safety. Halfway through his first college training camp, he was moved to linebacker.
“Jerry Kill came up to me and said, ‘Son, I’m moving you to linebacker, what do you think of that?’” Cashman recounted. “I was like, ‘Wherever you need me, coach.’”
With the Golden Gophers, Cashman immediately earned a spot on special teams. One year later, he was the Holiday Bowl Defensive MVP and won a program award for underdog spirit. Once P.J. Fleck became the head coach, Cashman got his scholarship. He had 104 tackles in his first season as a starter and was named All-Big Ten Conference.
“Getting the scholarship, that was a thrill,” said Cashman, who has run the 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds. “That was something I had a lot of confidence and belief that I could achieve. To have my coaches see that value in me, that was special. The most meaningful moment was when it was announced because of the love I felt from my teammates. It was great.”
#Texans linebacker Blake Cashman @blockayyy @blakebaratz @TeamIFA @GopherFootball pic.twitter.com/UPvJbAWysx
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 17, 2024
From 197 pounds as a high school senior to now being 6-foot-1, 237 pounds through devotion to the weight room, getting drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round and having led the Texans with a career-high 106 tackles this season, it’s been quite a climb for Cashman.
Acquired in a trade last year in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick, Cashman attributes his upgraded production to a strict, ultra-detailed regimen of film study, exercise and proper nutrition. He’s a creature of habit whose instinctive play and leadership has made him an extension of coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke’s teachings on the field as a defensive signal caller for the AFC South champion Texans heading into Saturday’s AFC divisional round game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
“It’s great to be in the position I’m in,” Cashman said. “Looking back over the years, understanding this is what it’s all about, having all that hard work pay off. All the determination. It was a lot of times I was discouraged, but the message is keep pushing forward, ignoring all the noise, ignoring the people who told me I wouldn’t be in this position.
“A lot of people to give credit to along the way, coaches and teammates. To be in this position, I’m blessed and excited to be in my first year of playoff football playing against a great team.”
Cashman, 27, has recorded nine tackles for losses, five quarterback hits, two sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery in 14 games and 13 starts. He has combined for 23 tackles over the past two games in a playoff win over the Cleveland Browns and a regular-season finale win over the Indianapolis Colts that led to the Texans winning the division and making the playoffs.
Cashman, part of a linebacker corps that includes second-year standout Christian Harris and former Pro Bowl linebacker Denzel Perryman, has split defensive signal calling duties with Perryman.
“Yeah, he’s done a great job,” Burke said. “That group has been an evolving group and again, trying to find the sweet spot for all those guys to play with. We’ve all seen Christian’s development through the year and how he’s performing and D.P. and that group, so Cash has been a very good player for us.
“I’ll give those guys credit. We’re shuffling that in and out a little bit. Him and Denzel having to like, ‘Who’s got the helmet? Who’s not? Who’s running the huddle?’those guys have done a really good job of sort of fitting in together and sort of blending because again, we’re not the same as other teams that have just a steady one guy doing it, so we’re trying to kind of move their roles around a little bit. Both ‘D.P.’ and ‘Cash’ have done a really good with that, running the defense for us.”
Cashman was acquired via trade from the New York Jets before the 2022 season but went on to play just 149 defensive snaps due to a concussion sidelining him for a while. Flash-forward to 2023 with the arrival of new head coach and former NFL linebacker DeMeco Ryans, and Cashman is having a career year.
He has a 79.7 pass coverage grade to rank 15th in the NFL among linebackers, per Pro Football Focus. He ranks 15th in the league a mong linebackers for the least missed tackles.
Cashman was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week following a win over the New Orleans Saints as he recorded a career-high 15 tackles, two passes defensed and two tackles for losses and one quarterback hit. He’s the first linebacker to post that stat line since Brian Urlacher in 2006.
Now, Cashman should play a pivotal role against a Ravens offense headlined by star quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“Baltimore is a team, they’ve got weapons all over the place,” Cashman said. “They’re going to play sound football. I expect it to be a physical football game. That’s kind of the DNA of the Baltimore Ravens with the history of that team. I expect both the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens to be playing their best ball. It’s probably going to be a game that’s going to go all the way down to the wire.”
The overriding theme for Cashman: relentless hustle and instinctive play.
Cashman has excelled in pass coverage,
Cashman recorded 26 tackles, four for losses and five quarterback hits in a reserve role, playing just 14 percent of the overall defensive snaps last season.
“What I’ve seen from Blake is the more he’s got in, the more opportunities he’s gotten, he continues to show up and make plays,” said Ryans, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker. “Blake has done a great job with what he’s been given. The opportunities that he’s been given he has shown up and he’s made big-time plays for us, and he’s earned the right to get more time.”
One year after Cashman signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract extension, he’s become an NFL starter after mostly playing special teams last season in 16 games and one start.
Cashman’s choice to commit to the Texans with an in-season contract negotiated by Blake Baratz of Team IFA has paid dividends. Cashman did so last December without the knowledge of how this season would look in terms of the coaching staff and defensive scheme. With the arrival of Ryans as head coach, Cashman is loving the culture and his role in an overhauled 4-3 defense.
Perhaps the Texans and Cashman will conduct some future business on another contract extension. He’s currently scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
“Very happy with that decision and how things have played out,” Cashman said. “I feel like ever since I’ve got here it’s been a good fit for me. It’s been great, not only for me as a man but as a football player. It’s been nothing but enjoyable and positive.
“Yeah, I’m happy with how things are going. I understand that I’ve been playing well, but there’s still a lot of football left to be played. I have to still play well and stay healthy. I’m taking it week by week and not looking too far ahead and keeping my focus on the main thing. That’s my thought process: stay consistent, play well and keep playing at a high level.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC-2 and click2houston.com.
