The Good and the Bad From Joint Practice with the Carolina Panthers

Plenty of good for the Texans on offense and defense

The Houston Texans hosted their joint practice against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday.

Here are 11 observations from the scrimmage-heavy workout.

1. The day belonged to the Texans. It wasn’t an overwhelming win for Houston, but they were better overall than the Panthers. Houston’s offense managed more scores, but there were moments for both teams to take pride in during this joint practice.

2. The offense had a hot start. I watched the defense for most of practice, but my colleague Landry Locker took notes on the offense for me. Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, and Nico Collins all had catches on the opening drive for the offense. They moved the ball efficiently, and the protection was solid. The Collins catch was for a touchdown. Xavier Hutchinson’s name continued to pop up. The third-year wideout is going to make the team. He stands a chance to contribute more than most thought.