Texans' Hard Knocks hero Charles James healthy again, vying for playing time

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Charles James' star turn as a popular underdog Hard Knocks hero with a colorful sock collection last summer immortalized the Texans reserve cornerback in television history.

A year later, James is healthy again after undergoing foot surgery in December and is competing for playing time as the Texans' fifth cornerback and as a valuable special-teams contributor.

"It feels good, I finally got the foot back right," James said. "I'm feeling 100 percent. For me, I'm happy to be back out here, especially with the pads on hitting people. This is great."

A former New York Giants undrafted free agent from Charleston Southern, James rejoined the Texans off waivers last season after a stint with the Baltimore Ravens. James, 26, recorded 19 tackles, one for a loss and one pass defended last season in nine games and one start.

"Last year, he did a lot of different things for us," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said of James. "He was a really good gunner, downing punts inside the 10-yard line. He did a number of things on the punt coverage team, other than being a gunner.

"He was good at punt return and covering kickoffs. He's a guy that really is a good teammate, understands his role and special teams is definitely one of his roles."

James embraces special teams, is difficult to block and is regarded as a hard-nosed, consistent tackler in the open field.

Houston Texans defensive back Charles James (31) laughs during stretching at Texans training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016, in Houston. Houston Texans defensive back Charles James (31) laughs during stretching at Texans training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016, in Houston. Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 56 Caption Close Texans' Hard Knocks hero Charles James healthy again, vying for playing time 1 / 56 Back to Gallery

"Of course, special teams are a big part of the game," James said. "There are three phases of the game, offense, defense and special teams, and a big part of that in this league is special teams. I take pride in special teams."

Although relatively undersized at 5-9, 179 pounds, James has good speed and is a physical player. James is vying for a role behind starting cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson and Kevin Johnson and A.J. Bouye.

"I feel like we have a lot of good depth," James said. "Our guys know their roles. With Joseph and Jackson leading the charge, I feel like it's big things.

"I just feel like I can get better all-around with different facets in coverage or in tackling. I just want to be a better defensive player than I was last year and just go out there and continue to try to make plays to help the team win."