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.
Johnny Johnson, WR
At wide receiver, the Texans are hoping this season they see an improved group, overall. The addition of Robert Woods should help, especially with the overall veteran presence he brings. If Woods is healthy, he is still a very valuable slot target for a rookie quarterback like C.J. Stroud.
Next to Woods, the Texans have 2021 third-round pick Nico Collins, who has shown a few flashes over his first two seasons. Collins should be taking a big step this year, ideally, and give the Texans an outside presence. Then, on the other side, we will finally get to see last year's rookie John Metchie III take the field after his battle with leukemia.
That rounds out the Texans' starting wide receivers, and behind those three are a couple of rookies. Third-round pick Tank Dell is someone the team has high hopes for, and sixth-round pick Xavier Hutchinson offers potential as a legitimate outside threat.
That would make five receivers, overall, and there is going to be a ton of competition from there. Veterans Noah Brown, Amari Rodgers, Jalen Camp and Steven Sims will be facing off for a spot, more than likely.
Behind them, even, are a few more players, including veteran Johnny Johnson. This is another example of a player being buried on the depth chart, without much room to move up. Johnson doesn't have a shot at making this final roster.
Gerrid Doaks, RB
Lastly, we come to the running back position, which looks much different than a year ago. First, the Texans still have last year's rookie Dameon Pierce returning as the starter. He burst onto the scene, literally, and became the Texans' top running back. Pierce's strength and overall grit is something this team can feed off of.
Behind Pierce are a couple of newly-signed veterans, Devin Singletary and Mike Boone. Those two guys should easily make this roster, with Singletary being a nice compliment to Pierce and Boone presenting a solid third down option and pass blocker.
Further down, the Texans could choose to keep a fourth running back in Dare Ogunbowale who offers them a pass-catching specialist and someone who can fill in on special teams when needed, as well. Behind Ogunbowale is rookie Xazavian Valladay and veteran Gerrid Doaks.
Doaks was a seventh-round pick by the Dolphins back in 2021 and has yet to see any NFL action, which is a pretty easy reason to say he's not making this roster. Maybe, Doaks is a practice squad candidate, but even then, the Texans could prefer the undrafted rookie in Valladay.