The Houston Texans have had no shortage of players making noise in camp, and that matters now more than ever with cutdown day creeping closer. Every rep, every preseason snap, every flash in practice is helping shape who sticks around for Week 1.
A few names have clearly helped themselves over the last couple of weeks, and Cade Stover is one of them. The third-year tight end entered camp with his share of pressure after a disappointing second season, especially in a room that has been tight all offseason.
But Stover’s start has been solid, and with Brevin Jordan and Foster Moreau possibly sliding behind him, he may be climbing into TE2 or TE3 territory depending on how Houston views Marlin Klein’s early work. If he keeps this up, he looks like he has a real edge heading into cutdown day.
Jarrett Patterson is also making his case, and the Texans’ recent contract tweak only sharpened the picture. Houston guaranteed more money on Patterson’s deal last week while reducing his previous cap hit of more than $3 million, a move that points in a pretty clear direction.
The Texans save cap space, sure, but teams don’t usually add guaranteed money for a player they expect to move on from. Patterson’s value comes from his ability to help inside and from his familiarity with C.J.
Stroud, with guard and center both in play.
On the defensive line, the addition of Jadeveon Clowney has changed the math for everyone else. The DE3 spot isn’t really the prize anymore; the real fight has shifted to DE4.
Right now, Dominique Robinson looks like the man with the best shot. He turned in a strong preseason debut against the LA Chargers, including one of his two sacks when he got to Trey Lance, and he’s done nothing to suggest Houston wants to part ways with him.
The Texans brought him in as a priority free-agent signing on a cheap one-year deal, and in a room that’s still light on experience beyond the top three, Robinson’s background gives him an edge.
Then there’s Collin Wright, who has been one of the more interesting surprises of camp. The undrafted cornerback wasn’t one of Houston’s eight draft picks, but he has played his way into the conversation anyway.
Derek Stingley Jr. and DeMeco Ryans have both praised how he has handled the offseason, and Wright has kept showing up on the field with plays throughout camp. He’s now in the mix to be the fourth or fifth corner on the depth chart, though his status is a little cloudy after KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reported he’s dealing with a strain of some sort.
If he stays healthy and keeps stacking those plays, a roster spot is firmly in play.
In Other News...
Texans WR Jaylin Noel Hits Another Camp Setback At Worst Time
Jaylin Noel had already seen his training camp interrupted once, landing on the NFI list with a finger injury before getting back into limited drills. The Texans were finally getting a closer look at the rookie receiver, which made his latest snag feel especially untimely as camp work starts to matter more and more for players trying to carve out a role.
Now Noel is dealing with a hamstring injury, and it figures to keep him sidelined for a few weeks. For a receiver trying to build momentum and stack reps, it is another frustrating reset, though Texans wide receivers coach Ben McDaniels said he expects Noel to be ready once he gets back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Face 3 Roster Fights That Could Reshape The 53-Man Depth Chart
With the preseason game against the Raiders approaching, DeMeco Ryans and the Texans coaching staff are using the final stretch of camp to sort through some of the rosters most practical decisions. The competition at right tackle is among the most important, with Braden Smith and Trent Brown in the mix as Houston weighs how it wants to protect the edge and settle the line before roster cuts begin to take shape.
There is similar uncertainty behind the top two spots in the backfield, where the third running back job has become a place to watch as the staff evaluates its options. The same is true along the defensive front, where the fourth defensive end role is still open enough to keep Logan Hall and others in the conversation, and the way those battles resolve could have a real impact on how the Texans build their 53-man depth chart. [Read more 🡒]