The Houston Texans will be taking on the New England Patriots on Thursday night for their first pre-season game of the 2023 season. All eyes will no doubt be on C.J. Stroud and rightfully so. While he might be the single most important player on the Texans roster, there are other questions this team will be hoping to begin answering on that night.
With the NFL going to just three pre-season games, it's more important than ever to get young players acclimated to game speed. Pre-season games aren't on the same level in terms of game speed as a regular season game but the next best thing.
With teams like the Texans, many of the players will and should play. They don't have a lot of positions locked down and they have several new faces that need time on the field together. I have no idea who will play Thursday night, but I would expect a healthy rotation of players, given the uncertainty with this team.
This will also serve as a debut for Coach Ryans, who will be coaching his first game as the head guy and there will be a learning curve for him and his staff as well. There is a ton more that goes into every game than when you're just the coordinator, so this will be good for the coaching staff too.
I'll be watching Thursday night to see how this team is coming together and looking to see if the Texans can answer a few questions that will need answers before the start of the 2023 NFL season.