The Houston Texans wrapped up the 2018 preseason by defeating their in-state Texas rival, the Dallas Cowboys, by a 14-6 score as they now work to cut their roster down to 53 players.
The preseason is finally over and the Houston Texans gained some bragging rights for 2018 as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 14-6 at NRG Stadium, leading to the team finishing 3-1 in the preseason. Though the preseason means nothing in the standings, Thursday night was important for players on the roster bubble as to did they prove themselves enough to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
One player for the Texans who battled for a spot on the roster all preseason is quarterback Joe Webb. Webb finished the game 11-of-18 for 136 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also ran the ball five times for 28 yards, and had a rush of nine yards as his best run of the game.
It is still undetermined if Webb has done enough to stay on the roster, but he put up a solid effort in his time on the field this preseason, including Thursday against the Cowboys. Most likely the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart will be Brandon Weeden, who played some on Thursday. Weeden finished 3-of-9 passing for 22 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Troymaine Pope received five carries against the Cowboys were he totaled 21 yards, including one run of 11 yards as he is in a battle for a reserve role at running back. Terry Swanson led the Texans with 16 carries for 69 yards and one touchdown, with a best run of 37 yards. Even though Swanson did well on the stat sheet, he’s still a long shot to earn a spot on the final 53-man roster. Tyler Ervin, another running back on the bubble, totaled one carry for two yards. Ervin also had two kickoff returns for 26 yards.
The battle to stay on the roster at wide receiver was on display as well, with Quan Bray leading the way with three receptions for 44 yards. One player of interest in Braxton Miller had two receptions for 28 yards. Also possibly on the bubble is Bruce Ellington, who finished with one reception for four yards.
Defensively, Dee Virgin was the tackles leader with seven against the Cowboys, and he also had an interception off a pass from Cooper Rush. Also with an interception was Justin Reid, which was also thrown by Rush.
With the preseason finally finished the ensuing couple days will be very interesting to see how the Texans cut their roster from 90 to 53 players.
Time will tell if they make the correct decisions, but decisions will be made nonetheless and Thursday’s preseason finale might have helped or hurt the cause of some of the players on the roster.