The Houston Texans resume their offseason this morning at the Methodist Training Center on Kirby Drive, with the first of three mandatory minicamp practices. Like last week’s OTAs, there will be no hitting, there will be no pads, but there will be no shortage of hot takes, conjecture, and angst. After all, there will be players and coaches talking to the media, adding logs to our hot take bonfire on the radio every day.
Through two weeks of OTAs, we’ve heard from head coach DeMeco Ryans a couple times, and also heard from the following players — QB C.J. Stroud, DE Will Anderson, CB Kamari Lassiter, safety Jalen Pitre, WR Nico Collins, and WR Jayden Higgins. All six guys are crucial to the Texans’ hopes this season, but there are several more guys that I need to hear from, since for most of these players, we haven’t heard from them since the playoff loss in New England.
These next three days are the final time that we will hear from anybody with the Texans until training camp starts in late July. With that in mind, here is my short list of Texans players that I need to hear from this week, in press conferences, and why:
5. Tight end DALTON SCHULTZ
The revamped tight end room has been a big topic of the offseason. The Texans signed free agent Foster Moreau and drafted rookie Marlin Klein. Third year tight end Cade Stover is getting a look at fullback. I’d like to hear from the leader of that room on where he thinks the offense is schematically going now, with perhaps more multiple tight end sets. Also, Schultz broke some team records last season for tight ends, and got a contract extension. How did that feel, Dalton? Finally, Schultz is one of the more thoughtful interviews on the team, so you know we will get some of the good stuff.
4. Guard WYATT TELLER
We haven’t gotten a Teller press conference since the spring activities began, but Landry Locker and Cody Stoots, both of whom cover the Texans online, had a fantastic post-practice interview with Teller last week, where he dropped some serious honesty about his final months with the Browns:
I need more Wyatt Teller. I need to know his feelings on the direction of the offensive line, on C.J. Stroud, and on whatever restaurants he’s found in Houston.
3. Safety REED BLANKENSHIP
Even amidst the overhaul of the offensive line in the draft and free agency, Blankenship was my favorite acquisition of the offseason. I’m waiting to see what the offensive line looks like with pads on before I allow myself to get excited about that group. However, on defense, where the acquisition of Blankenship strengthens an already elite unit, by shoring up one of their only weaknesses? I can get VERY excited about this pickup! Blankenship seems as humble as can be, as he seemed genuinely surprised about just how interested the Texans were in bringing him in. I need a press conference full of Blankenship’s country folksiness.
2. Running back DAVID MONTGOMERY
Montgomery was right there alongside Blankenship as one of my favorite acquisitions. Recalling an offensive backfield last season that consisted of an aging Nick Chubb and a somewhat miscast Woody Marks was not much fun. Montgomery is coming in hungry, as he was kind of back burnered in Detroit last season for Jahmyr Gibbs. I want to know what Montgomery thinks about his role with the Texans, how a DeMeco Ryans practice matches up to a Dan Campbell practice, and his thoughts on young backs Marks and Jawhar Jordan.
- Wide receiver TANK DELL
Have you heard the good news?! Tank Dell is back on the practice field doing things that, at least remotely, resemble American football! It’s been well over 500 days since we last had seen Tank Dell in a football jersey, with cleats on, running around, but we got a little taste of it last Thursday, when Dell participated in a walk through portion of practice. I doubt they put Dell in front of a podium this week, only because trotting him out there in front of the media would amp up a level of expectations for Dell that the Texans have seemingly avoided like the plague this offseason. Still, I would love to know what this journey has been like for him, going over a full year without being able to do the thing he loves doing — playing football.
