The Houston Texans return from the bye week in new territory compared to the last three seasons — relevant, contending, and rapidly improving. I would also add young and exciting as adjectives to describe this team. There is a good chance that we have important football games being played at NRG Stadium, so who’s playing in those games, taking the lion’s share of the snaps, is crucial.
To that end, coming out of the bye week, and approaching Week 8, here are four intriguing roster storylines for head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio to deal with in the upcoming days and weeks:
Running back carries allocation
In the midst of all the positive vibes surrounding the Texans, one thing that has been kind of a bummer is Dameon Pierce’s slow start in Bobby Slowik’s offense. Certainly, the constant churn of an injured offensive line doesn’t help any running back, Pierce or otherwise. However, Pierce has been a clunky fit with his “bull in a china shop” running style. DeMeco Ryans has indicated that the carries between Pierce and Devin Singletary will be doled out more evenly, and that’s probably a good thing for all involved.
Where does Denzel Perryman fit?
Perryman was off to a decent start to the season, and then he showed up on the injury report with a hand/wrist injury, after the first couple weeks of the season. That opened the door for rookie Henry To’o To’o to take over play calling duties, and opened the door for Blake Cashman to become one of the best stories of the young season, as he is currently rated first among all linebackers on Pro Football Focus. So where does the now former starter Perryman fit in? He was inactive against New Orleans, and DeMeco Ryans may be content to let the young guys like To’o To’o and Christian Harris, along with the veteran Cashman, ride this out.
Offensive line shuffle
Week 6 against the Saints was the first game of the season where the Texans started the same offensive line combination two weeks in a row, and in many fo these games, they’ve been using backups of backups at multiple positions. It’s understandable that the Texans are not running the ball that well, but it’s a freaking miracle that C.J. Stroud has only been sacked 13 times. Right now, the key move that needs to be made is somehow getting Tytus Howard, who’s been playing left guard since coming off the IR, back to his natural right tackle position. Hopefully, the return of rookie center Juice Scruggs pushes that move, as his return could bump fellow rookie Jarrett Patterson from center to his natural guard position, and in turn, Howard back to tackle.
Xavier Hutchinson vs John Metchie III
The wide receiving corps has been a nice surprise this season, and arguably the best overall position group on the team. The top part of the wide receiver rotation is pretty obvious — Nico Collins has been one of the best receivers in football, Tank Dell is a fun weapon to stretch the field, and Robert Woods is the steady vet who moves the chains. Metchie and Hutchinson have both been getting more snaps in Dell’s absence (concussion protocol), but when Dell returns, he gets his spot back. One of these two, Metchie and Hutchnson, will likely be relegated to special teams duty only, at that time.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
