With Week 2 of the NFL preseason quickly approaching, the roster for the Houston Texans is getting trimmed and position battles are quickly heating up. On Saturday night, the Houston Texans will face off against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
The second round of roster cuts will arrive on Aug. 24 as that is when coaches, scouts, and general managers must decide who to send home and cut their rosters to 80 total players. After the first round of cuts, the Texans will be tasked with sending five NFL hopefuls home by Tuesday.
Currently, the Houston Texans have three positions that the back end of the depth chart is getting tighter by the day.
Any NFL team that is able to compete at a high level must have depth. Throughout the season players may get injured, have various emergencies, or even go into COVID protocol. Not only must the franchise have depth, but they also need depth that can compete on an every-down basis.
The wide receiver position for the Texans is getting increasingly tense coming into the second week of preseason. What may ultimately be the deciding factor for who makes the wide receiver room could be who impacts the game in the special teams’ aspect.
Another position to look at is the offensive line at center. With what may come as a revolving quarterback door for the Texans, it is crucial to have depth at the center position that can perform with any signal-caller.
Lastly, again on the offensive side of the ball, it will be interesting to see who shakes out in the crowded running back room. There are three men battling to be the fifth running back on the Houston roster.
Wide Reciever
The first week of the preseason saw the Houston Texans wide receiver corps get targeted 25 total times which was spread out between 11 different receivers. On Aug. 17 one member from the wide receiver depth chart was cut, Isiah Coulter.
The top six wide receivers for the Houston Texans seem to have their spots intact as they all performed well in the first week of the preseason against the Green Bay Packers.
The four remaining wide receivers: Andre Roberts, Chris Moore, Taywan Taylor, and Jordan Veasy will look to make an impactful impression on the coaches and general manager Nick Caserio this Saturday against the Cowboys.
Last week, Chris Moore had one reception for six yards and was targeted two times. Jordan Veasy was targeted once but was unable to reel in his lone pass attempt. Roberts and Taylor both ended the first week of the preseason with no targets to their name. All four of these receivers saw action on special teams whether it was the kickoff, kick return, punt coverage, or punt return.
As training camp rolls on, typically the players who don’t see targets or time on the field are usually on their way out, come cut day. This week’s upcoming matchup against the Dallas Cowboys will be sure to shake out a portion of the wide receiver depth chart for the Houston Texans.
Center
The position of center in the NFL is an important yet unglamorous member of the roster. The player must know every read the quarterback sees, be on the same page as the quarterback, lead the offensive line, all while hiking the ball and blocking.
In Week 1 of the preseason vs. the Packers the offensive line for the Houston Texans was able to provide adequate blocking for the playmakers to gain 170 yards rushing, plus they only allowed one sack for a 5-yard loss.
The offensive line is a huge part of the roster that needs to be improved for a Texans team that is looking to help out their quarterback, whoever that may be. The improvement of the offensive line, especially through the middle, begins with the center position.
The Texans currently have four players at center but most likely will end the preseason with two, maybe three, on the final roster. The battle for the last possible spot comes down to two free agent rookie signings, the 6’2″ University of Kentucky alumni Drake Jackson and Texas A&M graduate Ryan McCollum.
Both of these young men showed enough in their college careers to earn contracts. The deciding factor between these two is going to be who manages the offensive line the best and who provides the biggest impact on the field.
Whichever of these free agent signings makes the team, look for them to develop and possibly be a staple in the Texans’ offensive line for seasons ahead.
Running Back
While the running back position for the Houston Texans has the likes of big names such as Mark Ingram, Phillip Lindsay, David Johnson, and Rex Burkhead, there is a tight race for what possibly is the final spot in the crowded running back room.
It is a three-man battle for what could be the final spot between Scottie Phillips, Buddy Howell, and Darius Jackson. All three players found opportunities to showcase their skills in last week’s matchup versus the Packers.
Phillips led the way with 13 carries for 66 yards and one touchdown. The running back saw a hefty breakthrough for a 25-yard run. He also hauled in four receptions for 23 yards on five targets.
Howell was slightly ahead for second in rushing production with eight carries for a total of 38 yards. The four-year Houston Texans running back was only targeted once but failed to handle his lone toss.
Jackson, a sixth round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, had five rushing attempts for 37 yards and one touchdown which he scored in the fourth quarter. Jackson was unable to catch his only target through the air.
The Houston Texans have shown that they are not going to be afraid to run the ball this season. With the game against the Cowboys quickly approaching, look for these three running backs to continue to battle it out with their on-field performances.
Expect these ball carriers to make the decisions for the general manager and coaches tougher as the games and practices continue on.