For about a third of the Houston Texans’ 90-man roster, the hay is in the barn with respect to getting a chance to practice against and work against actual opposition from other NFL teams. On Wednesday morning, the Texans and Carolina Panthers conducted a joint practice that, by all accounts, was the equivalent of the Texans ransacking the Panthers’ house, flipping over all the furniture, eating all their food, and stealing their women.
What Panthers head coach Dave Canales called “lopsided,” referring to the two-hour session on Wednesday morning, DeMeco Ryans called a “good day” of work. Ryans’ defense made Panthers QB Bryce Young look like a teenage boy (even more so than Young already looks like a teenage boy), and Ryans’ offense peppered the Carolina defense through the air, including two nearly flawless two minute drills to close out the practice, one drive by C.J. Stroud and one by backup Davis Mills.
The Texans’ starters (and prominent reserves) will rest tonight, as the remainder of the Texans and the Panthers’ backups and fringe players play their final preseason game at 6 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. While very little of what happens tonight will impact the regular season, there are still good reasons to tune into the game. Here are a few of them:
4. Can anyone seize the third linebacker spot?
With the signing of Jadeveon Clowney, the depth at defensive end moved down the list of depth concerns. Now, on defense, the linebacker room is a bit of a concern. Losing third linebacker E.J. Speed in the spring to a quad injury looms larger now, with none of the candidates to replace him really seizing the role of playing next to Azeez Al-Shaair and HGenry To’o To’o. Rookie Wade Woodaz appeared to be the leader in the clubhouse, after a pick six against the Raiders, but a broken thumb has sidelined him since that game. Jake Hansen, Jake Hummel, and Jamal Hill are all fixtures on special teams, but none of them have distinguished themselves to where you’d trust them if A-Shaair or To’o To’o went down. It’d be nice for one of these guys to stand out.
3. Does a running back flash?
Coming into training camp, the running back spot looked like one of the more predictable rooms on the depth chart. David Montgomery and Woody Marks would be the frontline guys, Jawhar Jordan would provide a change of pace, and British Brooks gave you a potential fullback and reserve tailback. The injury bug hit this room hard, though. Jordan has been out with a hip flexor for weeks, Brooks just returned from a broken hand, and undrafted rookie Noah Whittington, who’d done some nice things, now has an ankle injury. There will be plenty of carries tonight for Owen Wright and Deuce Vaughn, who was just signed this week,to make an impression and perhaps steal a spot on the roster.
2. Can Brett Rypien pull a “2025 Mertz”?
Last season, Graham Mertz was a rookie third string quarterback, taken in the sixth round out of Florida. It was known that he would be starting the third preseason game, and playing the whole first half. It was up in the air as to whether he would make the 53-man roster ro get waived and brought back on the practice squad. Well, Mertz went out and lit up the Lions’ backups, to the tune of 12 for 14 passing, for 145 yards and a touchdown, and that almost forced the Texans to keep Mertz on the roster. Mertz is out with an ACL tear for the season, but his replacement, Brett Rypien, will likely play most, if not all, of the game tonight. Right now, I do not have Rypien making the 53-man roster, but could he pull a “Mertz” and give the Texans something to think about?
1. Who are the primary figures attempting to survive?
The big thing to watch tonight will be the players making their final audition to either move up the depth chart, make the team, or get invited back to be part of the 16-man practice squad. I’ve mentioned a few of the players with something to prove already — Rypien, Owen Wright, Vaughn, all those linebackers. Among other players for whom tonight could be life changing, Lewis Bond and Jared Wayne may be battling for the last wide receiver spot. Solomon Byrd might be able to put the finishing touches on a great camp, and finally make the 53-man roster, after being drafted in 2024. Finally, there are still spots up for grabs in the secondary at cornerback and safety, where the quality of play on special teams may determine who gets kept around.
