The Houston Texans had their 15th day of training camp workouts.
Here are seven observations from the practice.
Newly signed wide receivers Zay Jones and Sterling Shepard practiced. They went through drills and were on the field for snaps in the team portion, though no passes headed their way. DeMeco Ryans said after practice that the addition of the veterans is a way to “help out” in the wide receiver room after the loss of Jayden Higgins. He noted the receivers have played in many different offensive systems. Jones had minimal success for the Arizona Cardinals before an injury ended his season. Shepard played inside and outside for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, scoring one touchdown and posting a five-year high of 371 receiving yards. It would seem unlikely either can supplant players who have been on the team all training camp. The Texans will have an idea how helpful they can be should something else happen in their wide receiver room.
Jaylin Noel went through a full practice. He was sidelined initially by a pinky injury and then a hamstring issue. He looked lightning quick and showcased his speed in drills. The ball didn’t find him in the team portion, but you can see the defense had to account for his speed. With Higgins out, Noel must be a reliable player. He, more than any of his teammates, can replace the high expectations we all had for Higgins. He doesn’t need to match that, but he must be a consistently useful player in the passing attack.
The offense ran the ball a lot during practice. There were mixed results. This wasn’t the Las Vegas Raiders from the other night. A couple of early runs by David Montgomery gained enough yards to put the offense in third and short. Will Anderson Jr. blew past right tackle Trent Brown and sacked C.J. Stroud. It wouldn’t be the last time Anderson gave Brown fits. It wasn’t Brown’s best day of practice. Let’s pretend Anderson didn’t get home, as Stroud and the rest of the offense did. The quarterback perfectly placed a strike to tight end Dalton Schultz. It almost surprised Schultz as the pass whizzed past a defender right into his hands. Schultz was an important pass catcher last year. With the injury to Higgins, what the Texans need from Schultz will be more than what the initial expectation was when camp started.
The Texans practiced with the starting offensive line from the preseason game. Tommy Togiai powered past Keylan Rutledge to earn a sack. It was a rare decisive loss for the rookie offensive lineman. The line did hold up for a few nice passing plays. Stroud dialed up a beautiful toss to Nico Collins. It was a slightly messy pocket, but Stroud set, perfectly placed the ball, and Collins hauled it in as he hit the sideline. Kamari Lassiter, who had a win earlier in the day against Collins and Stroud, played it nearly perfect. But not perfect enough. The line kept Stroud clean long enough for him to get the ball out to Montgomery and Woody Marks. Marks had a particularly nice catch followed by a juke of Azeez Al-Shaair to grab a few more yards. Ryans said after practice he “loved” what he saw from that line in the preseason game. He also said there was plenty to build on from that offensive line. I suspect we will see that offensive line configuration in the joint practice. If we do, then I would expect that to be the starting line for the opener when the Texans host the Buffalo Bills.
Wade Woodaz has a broken thumb. The rookie linebacker was one of the highlights of the preseason game with his interception returned for a touchdown. Ryans said they will see how Woodaz recovers from the injury. Woodaz observed practice. He stepped on the field about 20 yards behind the defense at one point. He got into his linebacker stance and went through the motions of his assignments. Jamal Hill filled in on snaps Woodaz usually takes. Linebacker Jake Hummel earned praise from Ryans after practice. He said the free agent addition from this offseason has integrated himself nicely into the defense. They trust Hummel to call plays when he is on the field. Injured linebacker Jake Hansen worked on the side field.
Injuries persist at running back. The Texans had just three available to them during practice. Montgomery, Marks, and Owen Wright were the three healthy backs. Noah Whittington left the preseason game with an injury. British Brooks has a hand injury and is still working back. Jawhar Jordan has been missing in action for weeks. Unless a couple of the injured running backs return, I am not sure how the team makes it through joint practices, much less the preseason game. Montgomery and Marks won’t play in the preseason finale. Wright can’t handle a whole game by himself. Hopefully the lack of additions at this position means good health is on the way.
I asked Ryans about defensive back Brandon Codrington. The diminutive corner stands out in some way in each practice. He had an excellent preseason game the other night. I don’t believe he has a chance at a roster spot, but the way Ryans talked about him made me think he could fight to stay in the building on the practice squad. “Codrington, he tackles well, he said. “He flies around. He plays with that S.W.A.R.M. [Special Work Ethic and Relentless Mindset] mindset. I love that about him. He’s a smart player, small, undersized player, but he’s going to bring everything he has. That’s what I love about him. He brings it every single day, whether he’s covering, he’s tackling, he’s going to bring it. That’s all you ask and he’s done that. He’s done a really good job as well all camp.”
The Texans have an off day tomorrow before a practice Monday. They will travel Tuesday for their Wednesday joint practice with the Carolina Panthers.