3 veterans who won't make Texans roster Week 1
Which Texans veterans likely won't make the cut come Week 1?
By Ryan Heckman
For the first time in a while, there is hope for the Houston Texans. This rookie class has brought a lot of excitement and a positive outlook on the future.
It will be fun to watch the group of young players throughout training camp, and see if the team can gel as a whole. Will the Texans be a competitive football team in 2023? Maybe, but at the very least, there is hope.
Before we find out about this version of the Texans in the regular season, though, training camp must unfold. There, we will see a lot of roster decisions be made. Here, we will try to predict three veterans that won't make it to Week 1, once that final roster is announced.
Derek Rivers, DE
This offseason, the Texans' pass rush improved greatly with just one move. When the team drafted Alabama stud Will Anderson Jr., things changed immediately. Anderson takes this unit from less-than-ideal to having hope for the future.
Next to Anderson, the Texans have Jonathan Greenard listed as a starter. But, beyond those two, Houston also has some nice depth starting with Chase Winovich, a 2023 free agent signing along with Jerry Hughes. That gives the team four players on the edge.
From there, the Texans have fourth-round pick Dylan Horton who could end up higher on the depth chart after camp. Then, there's a few other players, including veteran Derek Rivers. Having not played since 2021 due to being placed on injured reserve last season, Rivers faces quite the uphill battle.
At this point, Rivers just doesn't have anywhere to go. He might be a practice squad candidate, but there's not much of a shot for him to make the final roster come Week 1.