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Posted

Nothing to freak about so far with the preseason PUP list. It’s not like the regular season PUP - players can get off it any time during the preseason. I wonder what Mixon did in the offseason to get on the non-football injury list. For DP’s sake, I hope he gets reps in the preseason if he hopes to make the team.

Posted

Day 1 Training Camp observations from Cody Stoots:

Here are 11 observations from the workout. 

  1. There is an excitement around the team’s new offense. DeMeco Ryans praised Nick Caley’s ability to adapt and evolve from what he learned at previous stops. Ryans made it clear this is not a cut-and-paste situation. That was a criticism many had about Bobby Slowik’s offense as he tried to copy and implement what the San Francisco 49ers had done. It was a not-so-thinly veiled shot at the troubles of 2024’s putrid offense. Caley’s mentality and intensity were a talking point from Stroud. 

  2. The newness of the offense was on display during this first workout. It looked 

    different than Slowik’s. The movement before and at the snap will seemingly be an ever-present element of the offense. The quick game for offense, inaccessible last year, will be a necessity. The offense won a few snaps with quick decisions from the quarterbacks. 

  3. DeMeco Ryans said it is tough to glean a lot from the offensive line without pads, but praised their work on the fine details of blocking. You can gauge where the offensive line competition is on day one. The initial offensive line consisted of Cam Robinson at left tackle, Laken Tomlinson at left guard, Jarrett Patterson at center, Tytus Howard at right guard, and Aireontae Ersery at right tackle. That line was the initial line in the team portion. 

  4. Jake Andrews was behind Patterson at center but later snapped to C.J. Stroud.There will be mixing and matching. Team portion two’s initial line consisted of Aireontae Ersery at left tackle, Juice Scruggs at left guard, Andrews at center, Tytus Howard at right guard, and Blake Fisher at right tackle. It was day one, but there is a starting point for the offensive line. 

  5. Ersery may be here as a replacement for Fisher. It is just one practice, but it can’t be good that a rookie who didn’t play right tackle in college gets the first crack at a spot Fisher played last season. Will Anderson and Solomon Byrd both dominated Fisher at separate points. Fisher has plenty of work to do to start on this team. Ersery looks physically great, too. He looks trimmer than in the offseason workouts a few weeks ago. He moves well for his size. Howard looked like he was in the best shape of his career. 

  6. The offense had a few tough moments trying to run the ball in no pads.Danielle Hunter sniffed out a run play and blew it up for a tackle for a loss. Henry To’oTo’o filled a well-blocked play that left a gap, but he was there to stymie Dare Ogunbowale. British Brooks looked to have a decent run. Nick Chubb had a nice cut with the ball away from some traffic. Tim Settle Jr. was around the ball on a couple of stops. Can’t be too critical without the pads on. 

  7. There are opportunities to be had at running back. Joe Mixon is on the Non-Football Injury List. DeMeco Ryans said Mixon will return when he is ready to return and offered little else. ESPN reports Mixon’s absence is expected to be short. Dameon Pierce has started camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. He can be activated at any time. With those two out, someone needs to step up. Chubb will have every chance to lock in the second running back spot. Nothing to note from any other running back, including rookie Woody Marks. 

  8. The rookie wideouts from Iowa State are already a C.J. Stroud favorite. Stroud was asked about who excited him from the new additions, and after the diplomatic answer of “everyone,” he noted he’s excited for Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Higgins caught a quick out. He also had a drop over the middle off of a play-action pass. Noel was quick in the open field and got open for some nice catches over the middle. Both rookies look to be behind Xavier Hutchinson and Justin Watson right now, but Noel has less competition inside. 

  9. Last year, the Texans had a full-blown tryout for punt returner. This year, the list is slim. I only saw Braxton Berrios, Jaylin Noel, and Christian Kirk take punt returns. Noel and Kirk each had a muffed punt. Berrios is surgical in his ability to track the ball and position himself just right underneath it. Berrios looks tiny in his uniform. He has a chance to make the team as a specialist. Nothing yet to report on kick return. 

  10. Berrios had the catch of the day. He cut inside and then darted back out down the field as the quarterback had to split the defenders to get him the ball. D’Angelo Ross was too slow, and Berrios hauled in the pass to end practice. Jared Wayne had an impressive sideline catch on rookie cornerback Jaylin Smith. 

  11. Jalen Pitre is a key part of the defense.There seemingly aren’t yet many options to back him up. New cornerback Arthur Maulet and Pitre practiced together when the defensive backs broke into groups. Maulet blitzed from the nickel spot in Baltimore when he previously played for the Ravens. He has a path to a roster spot as Pitre’s backup. It will be interesting to see if other players join them from time to time.

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