11 Observations from Day 11 of Texans Training Camp

The defense lacked energy and C.J. Stroud took advantage.

The Houston Texans had their final practice before their trip to face the New England Patriots in the preseason opener.

Here are 11 observations from the workout on August 8.

1. DeMeco Ryans wasn’t pleased with his defense on Tuesday. The head coach was critical of his defense’s energy. The offense, all teams, had success against the defense. The intensity did seem down, but the defense made some good plays. It wasn’t however their typical advantage over the offense.

2. C.J. Stroud might have sapped some of the energy with his impressive performance. Stroud was in control and hitting most of his throws. It was an impressive day from start to finish for Stroud as he displayed his crispness in his operation. After a shaky day Monday, the rookie bounced way back for an overall awesome day.

3. One throw on Tuesday exemplified the growth and talent of C.J. Stroud. Stroud took the snap, waited for the play to develop, and sent the ball toward the sideline. John Metchie was on the other end and caught the perfect pass that was placed expertly over the defender. It was one of the best throws of training camp from Stroud. The video below doesn’t even do it justice.

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   Houston Texans on Instagram: “Okayyyy 🔥👀”

   August 8, 2023

4. The command of the offense and the improvement in operation is clear for C.J. Stroud. He doesn’t throw into a lot of bad coverage. He did try to slip a few into tight coverage which led to some pass breakups. Stroud also whipped some passes into some tight windows. It’s fun to watch him get into a rhythm.

5. The rhythm for C.J. Stroud was present in the situational team period on Tuesday. The offense worked on third down from four yards, eight yards, and 12 yards to a first down. Stroud’s first pass was a pass to Dameon Pierce who couldn’t hold on through contact. Robert Woods hauled in a pass for a first down from Stroud on the next rep. Third and long saw success again. Nico Collins over the middle was the target this time. Stroud moved the chains on the money down.

6. I know the head coach wasn’t happy with the defense but there were some moments for the defenders. Safety Jalen Pitre is a menace and it feels like if the ball is coming into a territory he is near he will make a play on it. Safety Jimmie Ward dropped an interception on a pass C.J. Stroud threw behind Robert Woods. Christian Harris had a pass breakup when the offense tried to get the ball to Dalton Schultz.

7. Kenyon Green had a few rough moments in practice. Maliek Collins obliterated Green on one play just pushing him back into the backfield. There were some other questionable pass blocking moments. Green looked like he allowed a defender to dart in and interrupt a rushing play. There were a few solid moments when he was blocking on passing plays though. There’s still work to do here.

8. There were a few more impressive C.J. Stroud moments. Stroud had Roy Lopez in his face but was able to stand and deliver to Robert Woods. He perfectly timed out a throw to tight end Dalton Schultz on the sideline. Later it was a play action pass that led to Schultz getting a first down. Stroud, through a ton of traffic, hit Noah Brown who came down with the ball. Stroud hit a pass off-balance as the pocket was collapsing that I am pretty sure he threw from one foot.

9. Will Anderson destroyed a few plays. He read a play perfectly and earned a tackle for a loss. He slipped through the offensive line for a run stop on another play. I have yet to see him win a rep going against Laremy Tunsil though. Those are fun to watch and it is one of the rare times we see Tunsil require effort.

10. The running backs performed well. Specifically, the top two backs Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary. Pierce had a 15-yard scamper for a touchdown in one of the team periods. Singletary finds space, either running the ball or running routes. It should be a fun combo from this backfield. The running back spot has been a position of futility for far too long in Houston.

11. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson spoke after practice. He’s settled in nicely with the wide receiver room and has made more than a couple of plays. He said the deep ball element of his work has improved as camp went on. Hutchinson said he has never played special teams before, but he is out there during special teams work. He said it is a brand new experience for him and he’s getting used to the techniques he’s being taught by special teams coach Frank Ross. It will be a way Hutchinson can add to his viability on the roster, no dissimilar from how his now teammate Noah Brown carved out a role in Dallas years ago.

The Texans travel on Wednesday and play the Patriots on Thursday. C.J. Stroud will start the game but DeMeco Ryans was coy on who else would be starting. The head coach said we will all see when the preseason game gets going on Thursday.