Here in Houston, we have been understandably caught up in all of the storylines surrounding the Houston Texans and their training camp this summer. The integration of Stefon Diggs into the offense, the addition of Danielle Hunter to the defense, and the continued ascension of C.J. Stroud into the stratosphere of the quarterback position are all valid reasons for Texans tunnel vision.
However, there are plenty of compelling storylines going on league-wide, some of them involving contracts, some involving injuries, and then there are the usual allotment of players who are rising stars making their mark. So how about we do this — which are the storylines outside of Houston that actually impact the Texans’ schedule in some shape, form, or fashion? Here are four of them:
Bears QB Caleb Williams might be legit
Williams came into the league with the “generational prospect” label, and he’s flashed enough in the preseason to make most experts think the label is valid, with this throw over the weekend being the crown jewel of a fairly impressive preseason:
The Texans play the Bears in Week 2 on Sunday Night Football, and that game is shaping up as a spectacle between two of the brightest young quarterbacks in football.
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy is out for the year
The week after the Texans play the Bears at home, it’s off to Minnesota for a game against the Vikings. The Vikings are another team who, like the Bears (and four other teams), used a top 12 pick on a quarterback. Unfortunately, for Vikings fans, they will not get to see J.J. McCarthy this season, as the rookie signal caller suffered a torn meniscus in the preseason and is out for the year. This means that the Texans will see journeyman Sam Darnold in Week 3, which should mean Derek Stingley, Jalen Pitre, and company get to beef up their turnover numbers against the interception-prone Darnold.
Matthew Judon trade shows where the Patriots are
These days, New England Patriots are a pathetic remnant from their Super Bowl days. Six years removed from their last Super Bowl, everyone associated with the glory days is gone. They last made the postseason in 2021, which was defensive end Matthew Judon’s first season with the team. He had 15.5 sacks, and looked to be a piece the Patriots could try to build around moving forward. Fast forward to this summer, and Judon spent his final days as a Patriot pining for a new contract. The Patriots chose to trade him to the Falcons for a 3rd round pick, showing that indeed they would rather have future draft capital than actual good players. The Texans face the Patriots in Week 6 in Foxborough, in a game which should be a rare breather on a gauntlet of a schedule.
Dallas Cowboys contract stagnation
The Texans play the Cowboys in what should be one of the more highly anticipated Monday Night Football games of the season, in Arlington in Week 11. The Cowboys have one of the more talented rosters in football, but their offseason in 2024 has been one of the more criticized ones around the league. Owner/GM Jerry Jones has had three orders of business this offseason — extend Dak Prescott, extend CeeDee Lamb, and extend Micah Parsons. They’ve accomplished exactly zero of those to-do’s, and Lamb looks like he might miss the start of the season with a holdout. The Cowboys have a brutal schedule the first ten games of the season, so we will see how desperate they are come November.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
