DeMeco Ryans is one of the bright, young, rising stars in the coaching business, and the Texans' rookie class, for the first time since 2017, has a young quarterback who's viewed as the future face of the franchise. So with C.J. Stroud donning the one battle red practice jersey, and everyone else in blue and white, we got our first look at the 2023 rookie class, both drafted and undrafted players along with a few random tryout recipients.
The one word that I would use to describe the parts of the two days that we in the media got to see: normal. This team, after three years of recovery from O'Brien and Easterby franchise ruination, is finally starting to feel normal again. Here are six ways that return to normalcy was palpable out at camp this weekend:
6. The sheer number of people — players, Texans employees, media members, all of it
Back in 2021, in the aftermath of Nick Caserio's first draft as Texans GM, the rookie minicamp barely had a dozen players there. They only drafted five players that year, and signed even fewer as undrafted free agents. Fast forward two years, and there were well over TWO dozen bodies out there. Additionally, the sheer number of media members and cameras out there to observe and run video on players stretching and going through non contact drills was noteworthy.
5. The top two rookies are vibrant and healthy and doing EVERYTHING
Last May, when the Texans rookie class gathered for their minicamp, the top two Texans players taken in the 2022 draft class were recovering from injuries and limited in what they could do. CB Derek Stingley, Jr (foot) and LG Kenyon Green (knee) were both limited, and working out on the side this time last year. This past weekend, QB C.J. Stroud and LB Will Anderson were involved in every aspect of the camp, just like two future faces of the franchise should be.
4. A quarterback who draws eyeballs and attention in a good way
Speaking of Stroud, we got to watch him run through some drills and soft toss a bit with his coaches, but there is no doubt that he carries himself like a top guy, and he draws the requisites eyeballs a top guy tends to draw.
Day 2 for QB1 pic.twitter.com/OkpiZwwtRd
— Sean Pendergast (@SeanTPendergast) May 13, 2023
3. Names on the jerseys!
Two years ago, the Texans did one of the dumbest things I've ever experienced at a minicamp — they handed out a roster to the media that had no numbers on it, just names. Also, there were no names on the back of the jerseys. It was idiotic and largely believed to be one man's nefarious way of messing with the media. (We will get to that one man in a moment.) Now, in 2023, not only does the team give out one of the most complete, chock-full-of-info roster handouts you'll ever see, but the players actually have NAMES on the backs of their jerseys! HOW NOVEL!
2. The steadying, calm-yet-fiery influence of DeMECO!
The last two rookie minicamps were surreal for their own reasons. David Culley's camp was surreal, like a fever dream, where you can't actually conceive that this man is being asked to lead a football team. Nice guy, but in WAY over his head. Lovie Smith's camp was surreal because of how they arrived at Smith's becoming the head coach, a total last minute curveball that appeared to be a knee-jerk reaction to the Brian Flores lawsuit. Those were both the "bad kind" of surreal. DeMeco Ryans' presence is the "good kind" of surreal, like winning the lottery.
1. No Jack Easterby!
Finally, the big one — for the first time since 2018, we embark on a season of minicamps and OTA's without the pastor-turned-franchise decimator awkwardly lurking around drills and casting a pall over every attempt to get the organization moving in the right direction. As it turned out, the biggest catalyst to resuscitating this franchise was to get rid of the very guy whose fingerprints were on every move that plunged the franchise into the abyss from 2019 through last year. Good riddance.
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