Bill Belichick on Texans assistant Wes Welker: 'Wes has a good football mind'

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick expects retired five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Wes Welker to be a quick study on the Texans' coaching staff.

Welker, 35, officially joined the Texans this week as an offensive assistant and special-teams assistant.

The former Patriots, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins starter drew heavy praise from Belichick as the latest hire by Texans coach Bill O'Brien.

"He was actually our backup kicker," Belichick said. "He kicked in a game when we had an injury, but again Wes is a football guy. Whatever we asked him to do, block, run routes, return kicks, help us out in any way possible, Wes, was a good football player.

"He has a good football mind. Works extremely hard. Very instinctive player. He always seemed to do the right thing -- speed up, slow down, go under a linebacker, go over him, stop, pull up."

Welker caught 903 career passes for 9,924 yards and 50 touchdowns.

"He just had a great feel for where the quarterback wanted to throw him the ball, where he should be in the passing game relative to where other people were," Belichick said. "I'm sure coach O'Brien recognized that as well from coaching him, and I'm sure he'll do a great job in whatever they ask him to do."