Houston Texans training camp is about to put a handful of roster spots under the microscope, and a few of them look far from settled.
Rookies are set to report for practice this coming week, with veterans due in on July 28th, and that means the Texans are nearing the start of a camp that should sort out some real battles across the 90-man roster. Some spots are already spoken for.
Others are wide open. And in a few rooms, the competition is going to be less about finding a starter and more about surviving the cut to 53.
Wide receiver is one of the easiest places to start, even if the top of the depth chart is already pretty clear. Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Xavier Hutchinson sit near the top, while the deeper parts of the room are where the real fight begins.
The question is whether Houston keeps six receivers or pushes that number to seven. With 12 pass-catchers on the roster, there’s room for a few different outcomes, and names like Lewis Bond, Justin Watson, and Daniel Sobkowicz have a legitimate shot to stay in the mix.
That makes camp reps especially valuable for the rest of the group, because even the back end of the receiver room can turn into a real roster prize.
Most Likely to Be Cut: Treyvhon Saunders, Josh Kelly, Ja'Quan Jackson
Tight end could end up being just as crowded, though the Texans already know two names who are in solid shape for Week 1: Dalton Schultz and second-round rookie Marlin Klein. After that, the picture gets much murkier.
Houston has seven tight ends on the 90-man roster, which leaves four to five players fighting for a place and raises a simple question: is this a sign the Texans want to lean into heavy personnel, or is this group about to get trimmed fast? The first option feels more likely based on the way the room is built right now.
The most unsettled battle may be on the interior offensive line. Ed Ingram is set at right guard, but beyond that, the rest of the puzzle still needs to be solved.
Wyatt Teller and Keylan Rutledge are the likeliest candidates to start at left guard and center, respectively, though both are making position changes. Jake Andrews, Evan Brown, and Jarrett Patterson all bring starting experience, but that doesn’t make them safe.
Depending on how camp and preseason unfold, they could be fighting just as hard to keep their jobs as to win them. After all the work Houston has put into the offensive line this offseason, this group may end up shaping how far the offense can go.
Most Likely to Be Cut: Jarrett Patterson, Eli Cox, Sam Hagen
Linebacker also has a clear top end and a messy middle. Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To'oTo'o are locked in as the starters, but the Texans still need to figure out who steps into the LB3 role after E.J.
Speed. Marte Mapu arrives with the most NFL experience among the contenders after being acquired in a trade this offseason, while Jamal Hill is the longest-tenured Texan in the mix.
Jake Hummel, Wade Woodaz, and Austin Fisher also have a real chance to claim a spot, whether that’s as depth or as special teams help. Of all the battles on the roster, this one may be the most open.
Then there’s punter, where Houston has a straight-up competition after Tommy Townsend’s departure. Kai Kroeger and Jack Stonehouse are both in the running for the Week 1 job.
Kroeger brings a year of NFL experience from his rookie season with the New Orleans Saints, and the Texans gave up a day three pick swap to bring him in. Stonehouse has his own case, though, after posting a higher average punt distance in college last season than Kroeger did in the NFL and showing steady year-to-year improvement at Syracuse over the last three seasons.
This one could easily go down to the wire.
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