For the second straight day, the weather gods smiled on the Houston Texans and the assembled media at Texans Training Camp, with overcast skies and temperatures in the mid 80’s. I can only imagine what veteran Texan players are telling rookies about how abnormal this spate of cooler weather is for the start of the real work season for these guys.
That said, the Texans got another day of quality work in, as they cross off another practice on the way to the Hall of Fame Game on August 1. They will practice tomorrow (Saturday) and then take a day off before putting the pads on for the first time, presumably early next week. Here are a few observations from Friday’s work:
First look at handling the new kickoff rules
By far, the biggest change for the upcoming 2024 NFL season is the new set of rules for kickoffs, in which the coverage team now starts the play deep in enemy territory, thus making an actual kick return (a) a more frequent occurrence and (b) look a whole lot like a play from scrimmage. The Texans had a slew of players practicing as return men, showing that perhaps they are open to using a starting receiver or running back. Dameon Pierce, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell were all among the players fielding kicks. At this point, the new kickoff has a chance to be one of the more chaotic, fun style plays that we’ve seen in a long, long time.
Imported leadership continues to show itself
I mentioned the extreme leadership traits shown so far by newly acquired WR Stefon Diggs, in mentoring some of the younger players, specifically Tank Dell. On Friday, we got to hear from two of the other major acquisitions, both of whom are also providing leadership benefitting young Texan players. DE Danielle Hunter and RB Joe Mixon met with the media after practice, and it was quite evident how well both are fitting in culturally with the team, and it’s easy to see how invaluable both are to their younger teammates, specifically Will Anderson with Hunter, and Dameon Pierce with Mixon. Also, both gushed about how they are going to be used in their respective systems. These cuts were really cool to hear:
It’s becoming more and more evident just how big a weapon DeMeco Ryans and his surrounding coaching staff are.
Where’s Christian Harris? (and other observations)
One player conspicuous by his absence has been third year linebacker Christian Harris. Not only has he not been practicing, he hasn’t even been out observing practice. I’m told that it’s not due to anything major, but it will remain something to keep an eye on. As of right now, Harris isn’t on any of the injury lists that would explain his absence. Also, for the second consecutive day, LT Laremy Tunsil worked out in shorts and t-shirt on a side field.
Now, here were a few plays that jumped out at me from camp today:
* On an attempted pass deep over the middle from C.J. Stroud to Noah Brown, one of the two defenders running stride for stride with Brown was LB Azeez Al-Shaair. Nice to see an off ball linebacker flashing that kind of speed.
* Dameon Pierce, for the second consecutive day, ran decisively and aggressively. Last season, there was a lot of ancillary thinking and feet shuffling going on with Pierce. Thus far, it looks like he may have figured some things out.
* Davis Mills is likely going to be the backup quarterback, so it was nice to see him with a downfield dart to John Metchie on a classic Kubiak system play action toss. Metchie continues to shine as he tries to seize the fourth receiver’s spot on this team.
* Jeff Okudah has some ground to make up in the competition at cornerback, but a nice pass break up in team drills was a reminder that the physical traits for Okudah are still a factor.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
