The Houston Texans have wrapped up minicamp and while we have some ideas of where this team is headed, we still have some lingering questions about this team. The Texans went and overhauled a lot of their team this offseason. With a clear focus on improving the defensive line and secondary, the club overhauled both areas. In doing so the team landed impressive talent like Danielle Hunter and some interesting prospects like Kamari Lassiteer.
Their arrival may make things more interesting, but now the defensive end and cornerback spots seem overcrowded. As doe the wide receiver position, which received a huge influx in the form of Stefon Diggs. His arrival will certainly complicate things at the position, and if minicamp was any indication, things may be a bit uncertain going forward.
So here are three observations we saw from the minicamp that will play out through the remainder of the offseason.
1. Who is starting at corner for the Houston Texans?
The arrival of Lassiter and the jump in performance with Derek Stingley Jr. has many fans wondering if we found a new pair of cornerbacks for the future of the franchise. Lassiter had a major minicamp but that's just step one in a several-step process to determine if he'll be a starter for this club. He's got a lot of names to compete with, though Jeff Okudah may not be one for much longer. The former Detroit Lions and former third-overall pick has struggled so far and it's possible he's not on the team for much longer.
2. The wide receiver room may see a few surprising cuts.
I think it's fair to say that no position on the Houston Texans roster is as deep or as talented as the wide receiver room. Looking at the chart, you see Stefon Diggs, and Nico Collins, both number one caliber guys. Then you have Tank Dell, who's in line for a major season. Then you get into four guys who are all going to fight for the same spots. Noah Brown, John Metchie, Ben Skowronek, and Robert Woods are all going to fight for two spots. If we're being generous, there's likely going to be six wide receivers on the team to start the season.
The first three, Diggs, Collins, and Dell are likely to make the squad. Then we'd have to go with dark horse Xavier Hutchinson, who the Texans recently drafted. That means Brown, Metchie, Skowronek and Woods are competing for two spots. In theory. At least two of those names are likely to be cut and whoever it is will end up being quite surprising.
3. The linebacking corps is very much up in the air
It's fair to say that Azeez Al-Shaair has a good handle on the playbook already. That's not surprising as he has already played under Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans once before. The two worked together in San Francisco and a lot of Ryans' terminology appears to be from his time with the 49ers. So Al-Shaair is already looking good. How he plays, however, is going to be anyone's guess. The entire unit was remade, with much focus on two recent draft picks; Christian Harris and Henry To'oto'o. If those two young men continue to develop, this group of linebackers may be better than last year, which will be a tall task to achieve. After all, Blake Cashman is arguably the team's best linebacker and most consistent tackler. Losing him was a blow but clearly, there is hope in the youth.