The Houston Texans’ 2023 preseason kicked off last Wednesday, and after Sunday morning’s practice, four practices in, we know with certainty that there is a lot of energy in camp and the weather is “surface of the sun” level hot. We get our first padded practice on Monday morning, and a little bit of hitting should help some things come into focus.
For now, here are four big takeaways from the first four practices of Camp DeMeco Ryans, live from the Methodist Training Center at NRG Stadium!
4. It is a packed house out there, at the “open to the public” practices.
With COVID keeping practices closed in 2020, and the David Culley Era and Lovie Smith Era keeping practices at the bottom of most Houstonians’ “attractions” list, it’s been at least four years since there’s been excitement for a Texans training camp. The energy generated by the hiring of Ryans as head coach, and the drafting of C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson, has absolutely translated to butts in the seats out at the practice facility. There is no official attendance figure or published seating capacity that I know of, but rest assured, there is not an empty seat in the bleacher area, and the standing room area along the back of the north end zone is completely full. I would estimate there were a few thousand people out there at each practice on Friday and Sunday. The Texans have six more practices open to the public, with the first nighttime practice in several years coming this Saturday.
3. The defense is undoubtedly ahead of the offense right now.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. DeMeco Ryans himself confirmed after Friday’s practice that this is a normal occurrence in most training camps each season — the defense is ahead of the offense out of the chute. Specifically, the Texans’ secondary looks like it could be a real strength this season, with its most depth in years and quality safety play from newcomer Jimmie Ward and second year safety Jalen Pitre. The linebackers, in particular, had a great day on Sunday, especially defending the intermediate passing game . We will get to rookie Will Anderson in a moment.
2. None of the three quarterbacks is taking the QB battle by the horns.
It’s a three man quarterback room, with the rookie Stroud, holdover Davis Mills, and veteran (and Houston legend) Case Keenum. The battle for the starting role seems to have been focused on Stroud’s taking the reins right away, or Mills’ taking advantage of his two season advantage in the experience department, and winning the starting position until Stroud is ready to take over. It WILL be Stroud’s job at some point, it’s just a question of when. The offensive line hasn’t been doing the young quarterbacks many favors in their shoddy pass protection through the first week of practice, and I’m not so sure that Keenum isn’t the best short-term option, if the team had to play a real game tomorrow. Fans are impatient, and most want Stroud anointed the starter as soon as possible, but Ryans has made it clear, in words and actions, that the starting role must be earned, not given.
1. You can see what they saw in Will Anderson on draft night.
The Texans gave up massive draft capital on draft night, including their own first round pick in 2024, for the right to select Anderson third overall. The pads haven’t gone on yet, but early on, you can tell that Anderson is the real deal. I’ll let my cohost on SportsRadio 610, former Texans defensive lineman Seth Payne, as well as Coach Ryans, explain why Anderson has flashed early on:
If you’re headed to practice next week, find number 51 when he’s out there, sit back, and enjoy. Anderson is going to be a fun watch this season.
Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
