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.
Does Stroud play with confidence?
C.J. Stroud gets the start in Week One of the Houston Texans pre-season but that’s not necessarily an indication he’s won the job. It’s likely we see Davis Mills come in at some point. Now it’s unknown how much Stroud and Davis will play or if Case Keenum will get any playing time too.
Regardless, it seems that Stroud will ultimately win this battle and reports have indicated that Stroud appears to be getting more and more of the first team reps as camp continues. This will be a huge evening for Stroud and he doesn’t have to go out there and be lights out either. Just play his game and show that the game isn’t too big.
We want to see him play with confidence and without hesitation. He can’t be afraid to make mistakes, because mistakes will happen. Coach Ryans seem like the type of coach that will let Stroud play his game and not get too down on him when he makes mistakes.
My hope is the fans don’t get down on him too early either. He will have some rookie moments and possibly more than the good moments. The biggest question here for Stroud is not his overall performance but whether can he play with confidence and not get down on himself.
Can the offensive line protect and open run lanes?
C.J. Stroud is the single most important player on the Houston Texans roster now and for the future of the team; however, the most important unit on the field is without question the offensive line. If that group cannot play better than last season, Stroud and this offense won’t be much better than the 2022 version.
The line has a few new faces with Shaq Mason and likely rookie Juice Scruggs at center. Kenyon Green is a concern too but this line must come together and play well. Last season, Davis Mills, while he didn’t play well, the offensive line did not do him any favors.
We all remember what happened to David Carr and we don’t want a repeat of Texans’ history with Stroud but then again, you want a quarterback that is strong mentally and can weather those adverse moments without losing his confidence. But even still, no one wants to stand back there and get beat up on a regular basis.
The team can help out Stroud a great deal with a solid run game and that can be bolstered by good line play. If those five upfront can open up some holes for the ball carrier, it will help Stroud and the team immensely. So, I will be watching the line very closely on Thursday to see how well they protect their quarterback and if the running backs can get going.
Is there a wide receiver that steps up?
We will have to wait and see who and how much of the wide receivers will play but as I mentioned earlier, with so many young players and new faces, it would be beneficial to let everyone get some playing time at some point. This is true of the wide receivers too.
These guys need to get on the field with the quarterback and begin working further on their timing and chemistry. That said if there is someone that starts to show they want to and can be that alpha receiver, maybe they stay on the field a little longer to continue building that rapport with the quarterback.
I’ll be watching the receivers and looking for someone to step up and be that go-to target and the number-one receiver on this roster. There are a few candidates, including third-year veteran Nico Collins and rookie Tank Dell. Robert Woods could be that guy but at this point in his career, I think he’s more suited as a number two.
I’ll also be watching Xavier Hutchinson closely, as well as John Metchie III. I hope to see these guys make some plays and I'm rooting for Metchie to have a stellar season. I’m pulling for him to win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Can the Texans' defensive front stand up?
The 2022 Houston Texans were terrible against the run. Teams ran all over the Texans last season and improvements in this area are paramount for the team’s potential success this season. They brought in Sheldon Rankins and drafted Will Anderson Jr. with the third overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Both of these guys should help the Texans a great deal. Anderson has been a star in training camp so far and will get a chance to show the rest of the world his talents. If I were a betting man, I’d say Anderson gets a sack in his first pre-season game.
I expect the team to improve their run defense this season but just how much will it improve? I am also excited to see Henry To’oTo’o play as well. Reports from camp have been good for him and he has a chance to earn the starting middle linebacker role. He’ll be a key contributor in helping shut down the run game from the opposing teams.
Additionally, Jimmie Ward is considered one of the better run-support safeties in the league, so it will be interesting to see how well the defense stands up to the New England Patriots' rushing attack on Thursday night.
How does the Texans' secondary perform?
The Houston Texans spent a third overall pick in 2022 on corner Derek Stingley Jr and his rookie campaign was up and down, as expected from a rookie. I think the performance we saw from Sauce Gardner, makes it difficult to show patience with someone drafted ahead of him.
Stingley’s season was cut short due to an injury but he is set to return this season and will likely take the field Thursday night for the first time since the injury. According to an article from nfl.com, he says things have slowed down for him. If he can take that next step, this secondary could be very good.
Some in the media have called the safety tandem of Jalen Pitre and Jimmie Ward one of the best in the league. We’ll have to wait and see how the two play together and build that chemistry but the potential is certainly there.
If the secondary can become a strength of this team, which is very possible, the Texans could be competitive week in and week out, even if they don’t win many games, they won’t be a pushover and could pull off an upset or two.
We’ll be watching throughout this pre-season to see how the secondary develops together and it begins this week in the Texans' first pre-season game against the Patriots.