Texans Missing Tons of Talent in First Practice of the Week

Plenty of key players were absent

The Houston Texans had numerous key players missing from their first practice of the week.

C.J. Stroud missed practice. He is still in concussion protocol after leaving the loss to the Denver Broncos. DeMeco Ryans announced Stroud would miss Sunday’s game.

Davis Mills filled in for Stroud and will start in his place. Mills completed 17 of 30 passes for 137 yards. The team failed to convert every third down but one with Mills under center. Graham Mertz will be active as the backup to Mills.

Defensive end Will Anderson Jr. didn’t practice because of a quad injury. He has missed Wednesday’s workout and still played on Sunday before, so less concern there than for Stroud. The Texans have defensive ends Derek Barnett, Denico Autry, and Dylan Horton as backups since they placed Darrell Taylor on injured reserve.

Safety/nickel Jalen Pitre missed practice. It appears he is in concussion protocol. He is the key to how the Texans prefer to play defense. He rarely leaves the field. The Texans do not have a listed backup for Pitre on the depth chart. They could play an additional linebacker or opt to use another defensive back in Pitre’s absence. The Texans showed a look where Kamari Lassiter played inside last week, but that was with rookie Jaylen Smith on the outside. Smith is on injured reserve, again, so it remains to be seen if the team would trust veteran Tremon Smith with that role. Rookie Alijah Huzzie, newly activated from the non-football injury list, could be a long-shot option as well, but he just started practicing with the team after his offseason injury.