The Houston Texans just finished their ninth day of training camp yesterday evening, and it was arguably their most competitive session thus far.
Rookies were making plays in 1-on-1's, the defense was SWARM-ing (because of course they were) and multiple undrafted free agents continued to stamp their collective presence with more strong camp performances.
With that in mind, here is a detailed stock report for the team heading into the first official preseason week for the entire NFL!
The Houston Texans have risers and fallers heading into the first week of preseason
Stock Up
Calen Bullock, safety, third-year
Calen Bullock has been an absolute menace in the secondary throughout training camp. He snagged yet another interception off of quarterback C.J. Stroud in team drills yesterday, which fired up his teammates and the fans in the stands. I honestly believe that an All-Pro season is within reach for Bullock after becoming a Pro Bowler last season.
Collin Wright, cornerback, undrafted free agent
The former Stanford Cardinal -- and Missouri City-native -- has done nothing but make plays since training camp has started, and multiple key figures have noticed. All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. said of Wright's camp impact back on August 5th,
“Collin a dog. At some point during practice he either gunna get a pick, or almost get a pick. He do it every day. He did it during the spring, he doing it now, he just keep on growing.”
While either grabbing interceptions or generating multiple PBU's, Wright is making a strong case for a positional depth role heading into the regular season.
Marlin Klein, tight end, rookie
Rookie tight end Marlin Klein has been the subject of much speculation throughout the offseason, which much of it having to do with his draft positioning at 59th-overall (second round). Yesterday evening, Klein had a strong day, with the capper being a catch-and-run touchdown on a crossing route via a pass by backup quarterback Davis Mills. In that one play, he further displayed the potential that his 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame possesses for the offense, and why it is fans should be excited about his continued maturation with more reps.
Stock down
Texans quarterbacks throwing interceptions
Quarterbacks C.J. Stroud, Davis Mills and Graham Mertz have all contributed to the turnover pool throughout training camp. While positive plays have been made by each respective signal caller, the reality is that they've struggled to sustain any consistent momentum against their stingy secondary counterparts. While the defense is certainly something to be celebrated for the Texans, it's still a bit concerning to see how many turnovers have occured when offensive coordinator Nick Caley and co. have so much to prove in year two of this offense.
Offensive line still a work in progress
Similar to my thoughts on the dynamic between the elite secondary and a developing passing attack, the Texans' offensive line has had a rough go of things against the ferocity and dominance of the defensive line. Will Anderson Jr, Danielle Hunter, Jadeveon Clowney and others have wreacked havoc on the protectors up front, and its prevented the offense from having any consistent success against them. Again, it's great to have one of the three best defensive lines in football, but the offensive line has been in a rebuilding phase for the last three seasons.
At some point, the offensive line has to show up on a consistent basis and provide the offense with the push it needs to stay on the field against some of the better units that the league has to offer.
Still no Tank Dell in practice
We're heading into the first game of the preseason for the Texans, and wide receiver Tank Dell has yet to take a single snap in team drills in training camp. While the fourth-year dynamo has managed to avoid any level of official injury designation (NFI, PUP, etc.), he hasn't really done much outside of light individual work and being present on the sidelines.
Dell and the team have said all the right things in terms of his recovery timeline from his catastrophic leg injury of the 2024 season. However, concerns do start to creep in the longer that Dell doesn't suit up to take live reps in either a practice or an eventual preseason game. My unofficial deadline to see Dell be "ready" to return early in 2026 would be next Thursday's game on the 20th against the Las Vegas Raiders.
If Dell doesn't return to any kind of actual football activity by that time, I'll then question his viability for the beginning of the regular season. Until then, it's just slightly disappointing to have not seen Dell in any level of team play yet after being given "no injury designation".
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