The Texans are heading into their preseason opener with more than a few roster questions still hanging in the air, and Thursday’s game against the LA Chargers should start sorting out the mess. With three exhibition games left before the regular season, Houston has several spots where camp momentum, live reps, and a bad night or two could swing the outcome.
One of the clearest debates sits at wide receiver, where the top of the depth chart looks settled but the bottom half is still very much in play. The Texans may keep six wideouts or push it to seven, and that decision could come down to who makes the strongest case over the next few weeks. Lewis Bond has built serious momentum since OTAs, Justin Watson is working his way back after an Achilles injury, and Jared Wayne has recently turned heads with a few plays in camp that make him a name worth tracking.
Tight end is another spot with no final answer yet. Houston’s room there is deeper than it has been since DeMeco Ryans took over as head coach, but the team still has to figure out who sits behind Dalton Schultz.
Maybe more importantly, the Texans still need to sort out which two, or possibly three, players will stay in the mix after the 53-man cut. Cade Stover has been the biggest stock-up player in camp, while Brevin Jordan has taken the hardest hit.
Jordan is injured, which only makes the picture murkier. Preseason should go a long way toward showing who’s ready for a bigger role and who isn’t.
At right tackle, the battle has tightened in a way that may not have been expected earlier this offseason. Trent Brown and Braden Smith are essentially going head-to-head for the job.
Brown brings the comfort level of a player the Texans already trusted last season, and he never lost a start in Houston. Smith, though, comes with the kind of contract that makes him hard to ignore: $20 million, plus the weight of being one of the team’s biggest free-agent additions.
That kind of investment usually isn’t made for the bench.
The defensive line had looked like it might feature a deeper rotation fight, but Jadeveon Clowney has already answered some of those questions. Now the focus shifts to who gets the first crack at snaps behind the top trio of Clowney, Danielle Hunter, and Will Anderson.
Dylan Horton and Dominique Robinson remain the main names in that race, just as they were earlier in camp when the DE3 conversation was still active. Ali Gaye and Solomon Byrd are also in the mix and worth watching once the preseason games begin.
Linebacker may be the most unsettled room of all. Houston lost Jake Hansen to an ankle injury, then placed Sione Takitaki on the reserve/injured list soon after signing him as a replacement.
That leaves the Texans still trying to answer who the LB3 and LB4 will be for Week 1. According to the unofficial depth chart, Wade Woodaz and Marte Mapu are the two names currently projected to see the most snaps behind Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To'oTo'o, but that is hardly the end of the discussion.
There are still enough moving parts in that room for preseason to reshape the pecking order.
Cornerback has a more obvious top trio in Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter, and Jaylin Smith, the team’s third-round pick from a year ago. After that, though, things get cloudy fast.
Collin Wright, an undrafted rookie, has been one of the biggest standouts of camp and has pushed himself into the CB4 conversation with repeated plays in practice. Tremon Smith is also still in the picture after filling in for Jaylin Smith on defense for much of last season and remaining an important special teams piece.
The Texans’ preseason games are about to do some real sorting. For a roster with several open-ended battles, live action may be the clearest way to separate the players who are just hanging around from the ones who are actually forcing their way onto the team.
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DeMeco Ryans Sends Clear Message On Texans Rookies Camp Edge
Rookie offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge has made his presence felt early in Texans camp, and not just in the usual learning-the-playbook sort of way. The newcomer has been part of multiple physical altercations already, including a recent skirmish with All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., giving Houston a front-row look at the kind of edge Rutledge brings to the line.
DeMeco Ryans has noticed, and the message from the head coach is clear: the Texans want toughness, but they also want it under control. Rutledge is still moving through his development and has put himself in the mix as a potential starter up front, which makes the next few weeks especially important as Houston tries to find the right balance between strain and discipline in camp. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Preseason Suddenly Carries Real Pressure For These Roster Battles
The Texans are heading into a preseason that carries more weight than the usual August tune-up, because several roster jobs are still very much up for grabs. For a team trying to sort out its depth before the regular season, every snap now matters for players like quarterback Graham Mertz, tight end Brevin Jordan and a pair of veteran right tackles in Braden Smith and Trent Brown.
There is also a competition brewing in the middle of the line with center Jake Andrews, while linebacker Wade Woodard and undrafted free agent Collin Wright are trying to make enough noise to stay in the mix. Preseason performances will go a long way toward shaping who survives to the 53-man roster, which makes these games feel less like exhibitions and more like auditions with real consequences. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Offense Is Already Confronting The Problem Fans Felt In January
The Texans are still carrying the aftereffects of a January finish that exposed how much work their offense has ahead, and offensive coordinator Nick Caley has already made it clear the priority is tightening things up and becoming more consistent. For Houston, that means more than just talking about scheme or play-calling - it is about building an offense that can sustain drives and answer the questions that lingered when the season ended.
Around the division, the Colts and Jaguars are spending camp getting key wideouts back on track, with Alec Pierce expected to be ready for the opener after offseason ankle surgery and Brian Thomas Jr. drawing praise for the way he has attacked his own offseason work. Those developments only sharpen the pressure on Houston to keep pace, because in a division where the passing game is always under scrutiny, the Texans cannot afford to be the team still searching for answers when everyone else is moving forward. [Read more 🡒]