3 things we want to see from Week 1 of the Houston Texans preseason

It's week one of the preseason. Fans of the Houston Texans may be a bit confused, as they technically already played their first game against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 1. That doesn't technically qualify as a preseason game. Despite it counting on the team's preseason record. It's the Hall of Fame game, it's only a little thing and therefore not Week 1 of the preseason.

No, Week 1 of the preseason sees the Texans taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is a time for all teams, Texans, Steelers, and others alike, to find answers to lingering questions. For the Steelers, a lot of their questions surround the quarterback position. Will they go with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields? A pretty big question and one that may be somewhat answered on Friday night against the Texans.

The Texans have their own share of questions, and these are three of them.

Consistency from both sides of the line

The Houston Texans have some questions for both sides of the line. On offense, it's about consistency and improvement from 2023. A lot of the returning players from 2023 need to return to form or just flat-out be better heading into 2024. Defensively, there are questions abound about who will end up starting inside for the Texans. With Denico Autry out, the Texans are scrambling for a new and hopefully consistent, starter.

A running back who steps up

Joe Mixon is the man for the plan in Houston, but the former Cincinnati Bengal won't suit up for the Texans on Friday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That means that Dameon Pierce, Jawhar Jordan, Dare Ogunbowale, and Cam Akers are going to get all the opportunities to showcase their talents. One of them has to prove their worth going forward as Mixon's backup.

Some clarity at linebacker

The general idea is that Christian Harris and Azeez Al-Shaair are going to start, with Harris inside and Al-Shaair essentially serving as Blake Cashman's replacement. Across from him is Henry To'oto'. Al-Shaair may be a solid addition but Harris has a lot to prove to warrant a starting spot. If he has a lot to prove, then To'oto'o has an unfathomable amount to prove. The linebacking corp isn't in the best shape, but it is deep. Not deep with grand talent but talent on par with the starters. It's why guys like Jacob Phillips, Jake Hansen, and Neville Hewitt are seen as potential starters if the incumbents don't up their game. A nice outing one way or another against the Steelers will help to resolve the questions.