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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.

Posted

Day 2 observations from Cody Stoots

Here are 11 observations from the Thursday workout. 

  1. The defense decidedly won day two.Yesterday would have been a split decision in favor of the offense. Today was a unanimous decision in favor of the defense. Not quite a knockout, but the defense won. They had success at all three levels. The defense seemed more prepared for the quick game of the offense. That’s a key for the offense and the defense. Houston needs to be able to pivot when the short game doesn’t work. The defense will see a lot of quick game. 

  2. Jalen Pitre intercepted C.J. Stroud during one of the team portions. It was a 

    messy play for the offense. Stroud had a hiccup at the snap. The line allowed a decent bit of pressure. Stroud sailed the throw. Pitre was right there for the interception. The defense went nuts. The secondary ran down to celebrate with Pitre in the end zone. It wasn’t a pick six, but defenses love to run down and celebrate these days. There were some unforced errors by the offense and some forced errors. 

  3. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson are giving the offensive tackles plenty of work. They’re both wrecking things regularly. Today, Hunter and Anderson were blowing up rushing plays. If they are as good at stopping the run as they are at rushing the passer, this will be one of the league’s best defenses. They handled the guards during some plays. There are moments I wonder if you take them off the field so the offense can get a clean look. 

  4. Solomon Byrd has been a standout this year. I say this year because I believe I have credited him with a sack in nearly every practice from OTAs to these first two days of training camp. Byrd got Blake Fisher yesterday. Today, Aireontae Ersery was his victim. DeMeco Ryans said the game has slowed down for Byrd in year two. He mentioned Byrd had built on his successful NFL debut at the end of last season against the Titans. He is constantly in the backfield. 

  5. Blake Fisher had a tough day. Fisher hasn’t had much success against Will Anderson. Anderson blew past Fisher for another play-destroying sack. Fisher lost his footing on another rep and wound up on the ground. He also had a false start during an early team portion and was momentarily replaced by Zach Thomas. I want to avoid making any snap judgments on Fisher, especially without pads on. It didn’t look good last year and hasn’t looked good this year. There’s plenty of time, but plenty of room for improvement. 

  6. The offensive line mixing and matching was present again. The first offensive line for this workout was Aireontae Ersery at left tackle, Laken Tomlinson at left guard, Jake Andrews at center, Tytus Howard at right guard, and Blake Fisher at right tackle. The second team period started with Cam Robinson at left tackle, Jaylon Thomas at left guard, Jarrett Patterson at center, Tytus Howard at right guard, and Blake Fisher at right tackle. I will be interested to see the different combinations and how they perform. I would say the first group was the best-performing group of the day. 

  7. Tim Settle Jr. and Sheldon Rankins were tough to run on today. Settle has had a couple of stout moments and added a split tackle for a loss. Rankins got in on the tackle for a loss action as well. There were moments where the defensive tackles were a wall. Mario Edwards Jr. also had a stuff of a run play. There were some solid performances from the interior. 

  8. Junior Tafuna had two nice moments. He combined with fellow rookies Kyonte Hamilton and Jackson Woodard to blow up a run play. Tafuna and Casey Toohill combined for an excellent pass rush rep, putting pressure on the offense before the ball was thrown. Tafuna is one to watch when the pads come on. 

  9. Nick Chubb has yet to showcase much.The veteran running back looks slow and plodding through two days. It has been tough to run the ball, but the acceleration seems to be lacking. It’s early, and when the pads are on is where the rushing attack matters more, but there is concern for Chubb. 

  10. Jawhar Jordan had the best day among the running backs. Jordan looks quick and decisive this year. I wonder if he was still a little injured in training camp last year. There are numerous potential excuses for last year. The second-year back broke off the two best runs of the day. Jordan bounced a dead play to his right back left for a small gain. He hit a hole and angled away from defenders for a big gain on the left side. 

  11. The battle to be the returners on kickoff is a large one. Braxton Berrios, Christian Kirk, Jaylin Noel, John Metchie, Jawhar Jordan, Dare Ogunbowale, Daniel Jackson, and Woody Marks all had a turn. Berrios is the smoothest of all the special teams players. He has the best reps in the special teams drills. 

Additional Observations

 
  • Christian Harris observed practice in street clothes. He is not on the Physically Unable to Perform list or the Non-Football Injury list. 

  • No changes to the Physically Unable to Perform list or the Non-Football Injury list. 

  • Cade Stover looks much faster than he did a year ago. 

  • Christian Kirk gets open quickly. 

  • Jaylin Noel had a good catch in traffic near the sideline. He’s quick and agile. 

  • Nico Collins had an incredible sideline catch during a drill. The pass was headed out of bounds, and he reached out, grabbed it with both hands, still drug both his feet, and completed the catch. It was full extension, and yet, it didn’t even look close to full effort. He’s awesome. Collins also caught a crosser in traffic that was thrown behind him. 

  • Rookie quarterback Graham Mertz dropped a handoff for a turnover. 

  • Rookie tight end Luke Lachey had a drop on a short pass. 

  • Dylan Horton looks as athletic as he’s ever looked. He came flying off the edge for a pressure during an early portion of camp. 

  • Tommy Togiai ripped through an offensive lineman to bring heat on the quarterback. It was one of the better defensive tackle pass rush reps so far. 

  • Rookie cornerback Jaylin Smith had a diving pass breakup on the sideline. 

  • The Texans will have a very light workout on Friday, followed by conversations with the coordinators and assistant coaches. 

Posted
55 minutes ago, Macklemore said:

Day 2 observations from Cody Stoots

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Here are 11 observations from the Thursday workout. 

  1. The defense decidedly won day two.Yesterday would have been a split decision in favor of the offense. Today was a unanimous decision in favor of the defense. Not quite a knockout, but the defense won. They had success at all three levels. The defense seemed more prepared for the quick game of the offense. That’s a key for the offense and the defense. Houston needs to be able to pivot when the short game doesn’t work. The defense will see a lot of quick game. 

  2. Jalen Pitre intercepted C.J. Stroud during one of the team portions. It was a 

    messy play for the offense. Stroud had a hiccup at the snap. The line allowed a decent bit of pressure. Stroud sailed the throw. Pitre was right there for the interception. The defense went nuts. The secondary ran down to celebrate with Pitre in the end zone. It wasn’t a pick six, but defenses love to run down and celebrate these days. There were some unforced errors by the offense and some forced errors. 

  3. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson are giving the offensive tackles plenty of work. They’re both wrecking things regularly. Today, Hunter and Anderson were blowing up rushing plays. If they are as good at stopping the run as they are at rushing the passer, this will be one of the league’s best defenses. They handled the guards during some plays. There are moments I wonder if you take them off the field so the offense can get a clean look. 

  4. Solomon Byrd has been a standout this year. I say this year because I believe I have credited him with a sack in nearly every practice from OTAs to these first two days of training camp. Byrd got Blake Fisher yesterday. Today, Aireontae Ersery was his victim. DeMeco Ryans said the game has slowed down for Byrd in year two. He mentioned Byrd had built on his successful NFL debut at the end of last season against the Titans. He is constantly in the backfield. 

  5. Blake Fisher had a tough day. Fisher hasn’t had much success against Will Anderson. Anderson blew past Fisher for another play-destroying sack. Fisher lost his footing on another rep and wound up on the ground. He also had a false start during an early team portion and was momentarily replaced by Zach Thomas. I want to avoid making any snap judgments on Fisher, especially without pads on. It didn’t look good last year and hasn’t looked good this year. There’s plenty of time, but plenty of room for improvement. 

  6. The offensive line mixing and matching was present again. The first offensive line for this workout was Aireontae Ersery at left tackle, Laken Tomlinson at left guard, Jake Andrews at center, Tytus Howard at right guard, and Blake Fisher at right tackle. The second team period started with Cam Robinson at left tackle, Jaylon Thomas at left guard, Jarrett Patterson at center, Tytus Howard at right guard, and Blake Fisher at right tackle. I will be interested to see the different combinations and how they perform. I would say the first group was the best-performing group of the day. 

  7. Tim Settle Jr. and Sheldon Rankins were tough to run on today. Settle has had a couple of stout moments and added a split tackle for a loss. Rankins got in on the tackle for a loss action as well. There were moments where the defensive tackles were a wall. Mario Edwards Jr. also had a stuff of a run play. There were some solid performances from the interior. 

  8. Junior Tafuna had two nice moments. He combined with fellow rookies Kyonte Hamilton and Jackson Woodard to blow up a run play. Tafuna and Casey Toohill combined for an excellent pass rush rep, putting pressure on the offense before the ball was thrown. Tafuna is one to watch when the pads come on. 

  9. Nick Chubb has yet to showcase much.The veteran running back looks slow and plodding through two days. It has been tough to run the ball, but the acceleration seems to be lacking. It’s early, and when the pads are on is where the rushing attack matters more, but there is concern for Chubb. 

  10. Jawhar Jordan had the best day among the running backs. Jordan looks quick and decisive this year. I wonder if he was still a little injured in training camp last year. There are numerous potential excuses for last year. The second-year back broke off the two best runs of the day. Jordan bounced a dead play to his right back left for a small gain. He hit a hole and angled away from defenders for a big gain on the left side. 

  11. The battle to be the returners on kickoff is a large one. Braxton Berrios, Christian Kirk, Jaylin Noel, John Metchie, Jawhar Jordan, Dare Ogunbowale, Daniel Jackson, and Woody Marks all had a turn. Berrios is the smoothest of all the special teams players. He has the best reps in the special teams drills. 

Additional Observations

 
  • Christian Harris observed practice in street clothes. He is not on the Physically Unable to Perform list or the Non-Football Injury list. 

  • No changes to the Physically Unable to Perform list or the Non-Football Injury list. 

  • Cade Stover looks much faster than he did a year ago. 

  • Christian Kirk gets open quickly. 

  • Jaylin Noel had a good catch in traffic near the sideline. He’s quick and agile. 

  • Nico Collins had an incredible sideline catch during a drill. The pass was headed out of bounds, and he reached out, grabbed it with both hands, still drug both his feet, and completed the catch. It was full extension, and yet, it didn’t even look close to full effort. He’s awesome. Collins also caught a crosser in traffic that was thrown behind him. 

  • Rookie quarterback Graham Mertz dropped a handoff for a turnover. 

  • Rookie tight end Luke Lachey had a drop on a short pass. 

  • Dylan Horton looks as athletic as he’s ever looked. He came flying off the edge for a pressure during an early portion of camp. 

  • Tommy Togiai ripped through an offensive lineman to bring heat on the quarterback. It was one of the better defensive tackle pass rush reps so far. 

  • Rookie cornerback Jaylin Smith had a diving pass breakup on the sideline. 

  • The Texans will have a very light workout on Friday, followed by conversations with the coordinators and assistant coaches. 

 

 

Do we know if the Astros medical staff are treating Christian Harris?  

No surprise the Texans' defensive line is looking the better of the two, look at the resources that have been invested in that area of the team as compared to the offensive line.  Hell, they are supposed to be the strength of this team so if they weren't looking better there would be some real concerns.

That said, hope the offensive line responds to the challenge.  

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