The Houston Texans locked horns with the visiting Los Angeles Chargers from Reliant Stadium last night to kick off their 2026 preseason, Unfortunately, the home team was sent back to their locker rooms the victims of a 27-7 defeat at the hands of Los Angeles quarterbacks Trey Lance and D.J. Uiagalelei and their respective offensive weapons.
While a victory eluded the Texans, there were plenty of standout moments from several players who've been deeply embedded in position battles ahead of Houston's week one contest against the Buffalo Bills. Here were my 10 immediate takeaways from the game:
10 immediate takeaways from the Houston Texans' 20-point loss to the Los Angeles Chargers
1. It seems like we finally got confirmation on the Texans' offensive line configuration for opening night. Reported on earlier in the day by KPRC 2 Texans Insider Aaron Wilson, Houston ran out a starting offensive line of Aireontae Ersery (LT), Wyatt Teller (LG), Keylan Rutledge (C), Ed Ingram (RG) and Braden Smith (RT) on their opening offensive possession against the Chargers. And even if it was a preseason game against the Los Angeles 2's and 3's, they still looked solid in pass protection.
2. The hype train continues to roll for backup quarterback Davis Mills, who helped engineer an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive drive to give Houston the 7-3 lead in the first quarter.
3. During that scoring drive, rookie tight end Marlin Klein stamped his case as a legitimate playmaker in the offense, as he hooked up with Mills on a 31-yard downfield reception on the second play of that drive to set the Texans up at the Chargers' 36 yard line.
4. Wide receiver Jared Wayne then threw down the gauntlet for his roster spot to cap off the red zone trip. After making his presence known throughout camp, Wayne confirmed his ascension by boxing out Chargers cornerback Avery Smith and coming down with a fade pass by Mills for the touchdown.
5. On the defensive side of the football, rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald played a significant amount of reps against the Chargers to begin his NFL career. In reviewing the NFL's All-22 film, McDonald help up well against the Chargers' interior protection. I would've liked to see more penetration on occasion for McDonald, but at least he wasn't pancaked against his first non-Texans NFL competition.
6. In the secondary, rookie safety Kamari Ramsey intercepted Chargers quarterback Trey Lance late in the second quarter near Houston's red zone area and ran 40 yards before he was forced out of bounds. He dropped a gift of a pick a few minutes earlier in the quarter on a pass intended for wide receiver Brenan Thompson, as he virtually ran the route for his offensive counterpart.
7. Staying in the secondary, Houston's training camp sensation in undrafted rookie cornerback Collin Wright didn't really make the immediate splash that many would have hoped in his first preseason game. Aside from potentially being in position to grab a would-be interception on a deep pass to Chargers wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Wright had a quiet night.
8. Third-string quarterback Graham Mertz went down with what appeared to be a non-contact injury with roughly 20 seconds left before halftime. After scrambling to his right for about nine yards, he tried to juke back inside of multiple Chargers defenders and ended up going down in a pile along with them. He immediately threw off his helmet in frustration, and then gingerly walked himself off of the field after he got up (according to multiple reports, Mertz is feared to have suffered a torn ACL on the play).
9. Kicker Kai Kroeger made his debut as the Texans' official punter against Los Angeles. He averaged 52.0 yards per punt last night, with a long of 65 yards.
10. Rookie wide receiver Lewis Bond got some run in both the passing game and as a returner on special teams. Even though he didn't have a major impact on the night, he still came down with contested catches over the middle of the field and displayed his willingness to be a versatile weapon for both special teams coordinator Frank Ross and offensive coordinator Nick Caley. That's important for his chances of breaking through in Houston's hotly contested wide receiver battle.
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