The Houston Texans have several "backend of the roster" players who could make a statement in the team's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers tomorrow evening from Reliant Stadium.
Running back Noah Whittington, wide receiver Lewis Bond and cornerback Collin Wright all face massive opportunities to solidify their respective cases for roster positioning by way of strong performances in Houston's preseason slate of games. Though the reports out of camp have certainly been encouraging for this year's crop of rookies, the real proof is found in being able to string together impact plays against live NFL competition.
With a majority of the starters not slated to touch the field, they will have all the reps necessary to bolster their arguments to Houston's coaching staff.
Noah Whittington, Lewis Bond and Collin Wright each have a chance to make a strong argument for spots on the Houston Texans' final 53-man roster
Starting with arguably the strongest case of the three before a single preseason game is played, the Texans' breakout-rookie in Wright has the chance to solidify his place among the position's best with an impact performance against the Chargers.
Collin Wright, Cornerback, Undrafted Free Agent
Wright has exploded onto the Houston scene as a training camp warrior. Whether in PBU's, interceptions or just disrupting multiple offensive play designs, the former Stanford Cardinal has built a lot of individual momentum while gaining massive amounts of respect from teammates and coaches. An impact performance against the Chargers may get Wright shut down for the last game of the preseason as a lock for the roster.
Then, we have another strong case in Bond, as he's also made the final decisions surrounding the final wide receiver slots harder to call.
Lewis Bond, Wide Receiver, Sixth-Round Selection
Bond has also created a ton of buzz for himself among the fan base, as he's created several highlight plays in camp against various defensive backs. Being a former player of former Texans head coach Bill O'Brien while at Boston College, Bond entered camp already prepared for much of the playbook-language that offensive coordinator Nick Caley would've thrown at him. With that knowledge, Bond hit the ground running and could be looking for the final punctuation mark on his camp statement early on in the preseason.
FInally, Whittington has a chance to gain legimiate traction as an option to consider on the backend of the running back roster group.
Noah Whittington, Running Back, Undrafted Free Agent
Unlike Wright and Bond, Whittington hasn't had that much attention go his way during his time at camp. He may have gotten some light acknowledgment for a day or two as of late, but nothing truly substantial that would create any real suspense over whether or not he would usurp someone like Woody Marks or Jawhar Jordan for reps. Even though he was my early pick to surprise in camp, things just haven't turned out that way so far.
Against the Chargers, Whittington has a chance to play his way into depth contention. With the injury to combo back/special teams ace British Brooks, some believe that Whittington might be able to find his way to a possible RB4 role with enough evidence to support the move. With a strong enough performance against the Chargers, the coaching staff may begin to consider it (if they haven't already).
Add us as a preferred source on Google