The Houston Texans’ offseason program head into full tilt mode next week, with three Organized Team Activities (OTAs, for short) sessions next week, May 27 through May 29, and three more the following week, June 1, 2 and 4. The following week will contain mandatory minicamp, which will run June 9 through June 11.
After that, the long six-week wait for training camp begins. This offseason probably holds more anticipation for the upcoming season than any of the previous three under head coach DeMeco Ryans, with the Texans’ defense alone giving rise to Super Bowl aspirations. If the offense can just gain ground on the defense, in terms of quality and fearsomeness, then the Texans will be cooking with gas!
Part of the improvement that we hope comes in training camp each summer is the scheduling of joint practices with other NFL teams. The Texans’ preseason game schedule includes home games with the Chargers and Raiders, and a road game with the Panthers.
On Monday, we learned that the Texans will conduct joint practices with two of those teams. The Texans and Raiders will hold a joint practice on August 18, two days before the teams will meet in a preseason game at Reliant Stadium. The following week, the Panthers and Texans will hold a joint practice on August 26, also two days before a preseason game between the two teams.
Make no mistake, DeMeco Ryans LOVES joint practices as a means to improve, and more importantly, evaluate the players he has in camp. Nowadays, with regular starters playing little to no snaps in preseason games, the predominant prep work against actual opponents, for starters and key reserves, happens in these practices. Specific to these two particular practice sessions, here are a few thoughts:
Here’s what we will get to see when the Raiders come to town
It has not been confirmed that fans will be allowed to attend the joint practice with the Raiders, but I can’t recall a joint practice where fans were NOT in attendance, so I’d assume that will be one of the dates open to the public. Fans will get a look at the first overall pick in the 2026 draft, QB Fernando Mendoza, as well as RB Ashton Jeanty, who lit the Texans defense up last season in the Texans’ 23-21 win at home, and TE Brock Bowers. The practice will be a homecoming of sorts for new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, the son of former Texans head coach Gary Kubiak.
This is the second straight season practicing with Carolina
Last season, the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans practiced here in Houston, prior to a preseason matchup. Obviously, DeMeco Ryans really enjoyed working with the Panthers and their head coach, Dave Canales. Otherwise, I would guess the teams wouldn’t be working together again. From an optics standpoint, this will be another session where the top two picks from the 2023 draft, QB Bryce Young and QB C.J. Stroud, are doing football things within a close proximity of one another. It’s a huge season for both signal callers, as they are each trying to secure generational wealth, in the form of a massive contract extension.
This likely means no trip to the Greenbrier this summer
With the other preseason matchup, outside of the Raiders and Panthers games, being an early August home game against the Chargers, the calendar doesn’t appear to have space for one of those “getaway” trips that DeMeco Ryans and Nick Caserio seem to love so much. Two years ago, after playing in the Hall of Fame game, the Texans spent a week in Ohio practicing. Last summer, the spent a week at the Greenbrier in West Virginia. Barring something unforeseen, it would appear that the Texans will be spending a vast majority of this preseason practicing in Houston.
