Deane Leonard has become the forgotten man in the Chargers cornerback room.
After a strong preseason, the Canadian ended up on injured reserve for the middle of the regular season, watching from the sideline as rookies Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still made waves as hits from Joe Hortiz’s first draft class.
But on Wild Card Weekend, Leonard reminded folks why many were so excited about how he looked in the preseason.
Entering the game for Kristian Fulton on the outside on third and 7, Leonard was matched up with Texans receiver John Metchie. Metchie ran a go route, but quarterback CJ Stroud seemed to either be throwing the ball away or expecting Metchie to come back to the ball.
Either way, Stroud’s pass floated to the sideline, with Leonard the only one in position to make a play. He got up for the ball and tapped both feet in bounds for the interception.
It was the second Texans turnover of the day after Alohi Gilman forced a fumble on Metchie in the first quarter. Justin Herbert threw an interception to Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter on the play following Leonard’s pick.
The Chargers lead in the second quarter, 6-0.
