Houston Texans: 3 Players to Watch During Training Camp

Houston Texans: 3 players to keep an eye on during training camp

With the Houston Texans training camp days away, there are many names that fans should monitor. Of course, there is the third overall pick Derek Stingley Jr., that most will be eager to watch as he brings a lot of hope for improvement to the secondary.

There is returning veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who is more motivated than ever to help this team improve. There is also second-year quarterback Davis Mills, who fans are looking to lead this team back to the playoffs and remove all doubt people may have as him being the starter at quarterback.

But, there are other players we must keep an eye on during the upcoming Texans training camp as they will be very important players for overall success in Houston.

The following players have much to gain or lose in 2022, but their upside can help the Texans push it to the next level, and that’s what the Texans need this season as they add to the franchise rebuild.

Marlon Mack is one of the newest additions to the Texans roster. Mack is coming from the Indianapolis Colts, a bitter rival of the Texans in the AFC South. In 2019, Marlon Mack was one of the league’s top running backs, having over 1,000 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards a carry.

When Mack receives 15-20 carries he can consistently rush over 100 yards in a game. Mack dominated the Kansas City Chiefs as a member of the Colts during a game in Week 5 of 2019, rushing for over 132 yards, and against the Chargers (Week 1, 2019), rushing for over 174 yards and a touchdown.

Mack was returning from an Achilles injury in 2021 — with the injury happening in 2020 — so he played very little in Indianapolis those two seasons, but all signs point toward him being the starting back in 2022 for the Texans in his return as a full-time starting running back.

We must keep an eye on whether Mack will split carries with rookie running back Dameon Pierce, as Mack could not have a full workload and still be a success with Houston.

Mack should be the day one starter, but that could change come if Pierce shows out in camp or during the regular season. Pierce has an opportunity to become the starting running back eventually, that is if he produces at an outstanding level during training camp, so we must watch this running back battle closely.