Houston Texans Daily Roundup: J.J. Watt returns to action

The Houston Texans continued their preseason this weekend as we all witnessed the return of J.J. Watt to action and veteran Kareem Jackson played safety and cornerback.

The Houston Texans regular season keeps inching closer as they completed the third game of the preseason following a 21-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Though there was the good and the bad in the third preseason game, some of the more exciting moments was just seeing J.J. Watt back in a Texans uniform, and seeing the debut of veteran Tyrann Mathieu in a Houston uniform for the very first time.

For the preseason game on Saturday, John Anderson of HoustonTexans.com had 17 observations from the game, with one of those observations being Kareem Jackson playing safety (his new position) and then later at cornerback where he’s made a name for himself in the NFL:

"“It was when he was aligned at corner that he got the pick that led to the Texans first touchdown. The Texans were short a few corners today so Kareem slid over and played it well.”"

Though the Texans had some cornerbacks out of the game on Saturday, it is good to know that Jackson could fill in back at cornerback in a pinch if needed as he was moved to safety this offseason. Having that type of diversity in the defensive back field is such a positive for Houston. Jackson was productive by gaining an interception too in the loss. Last season Jackson had one interception, and in his first eight seasons he has totaled 14 interceptions.

Jackson is one of the more important players on the Texans defense and with this being his ninth year on the Texans’ roster the veteran is still able to bring something special to the defense.

• Watt returns to the field for the Texans

Watt is back to business with the Texans after playing in his first preseason game of the summer, and it was also the first time back after being injured last season. According to Mark Lane of TexansWire.com, Watt kept things normal as he said the return wasn’t emotional, quoting Watt in an article:

"“There’s a lot less nervousness, there’s a lot less emotion, there’s a lot less adrenaline because it’s just like practice,” said Watt.”"

Having Watt back is exciting, but the Texans need their All-Pro defensive end to stay healthy and on the field all season long in 2018 or the defensive will suffer in some capacity. Watt is entering his eighth season and last played a full 16-game schedule in 2015. Injuries the past two seasons has limited Wait to eight regular season games played.

• More on Jackson being a versatile player

In another article on Jackson, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle wrote about how he is in sync at the safety position after spending his career at cornerback for the Texans, quoting head coach Bill O’Brien following the game:

"“We think he’s a versatile guy and we can use him in different spots,” O’Brien said. “So, that’s a good guy to have on defense.”"

Coach O’Brien is correct in saying having Jackson is “a good guy to have on the defense” and I believe his presence alone makes the Texans a stronger defense whether he plays safety or cornerback. Jackson’s play this upcoming season should be exciting to watch, and what will be very interesting is seeing how defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel uses the veteran Jackson in certain game situations.

• Alfred Blue will be top reserve running back right now

In a CBSSports.com RotoWire Staff article on Alfred Blue performance against the Rams, it spoke about the performance of Blue where he totaled 45 yards on five carries:

"“The veteran back appears set to serve as Miller’s primary backup to open the season with D’Onta Foreman (Achilles) still sidelined, and Saturday’s production was a welcome sight after Blue had gained just 17 yards and fumbled in last week’s win over the 49ers.”"

Blue isn’t going to be a game changer by any means this season or any other season, but as a reserve running back in a pinch he’ll get you a few short yards if needed. Though we don’t know how many running backs the Texans will keep on their roster to start the season since D’Onta Foreman is still recovering from an Achilles injury, the question must be asked if Blue is the right guy to be the main backup on the running back roster for when Week 1 arrives?

Those in the Texans organization must have some belief and trust in Blue. Even with his numbers not standing out, he’s is reliable to a certain degree. If he’s on the roster he’ll most likely be getting the football at some point during a given game.

• Tweet of the Day

This is a fun photo of two of the best players in the entire NFL at their positions with DeAndre Hopkins standing with Rams running back Todd Gurley. If one statement is ever true it is this photo is full of some great football talent.