The Houston Texans’ offseason program gets into full swing on Wednesday morning, as most, if not all, of the roster will be in Houston for Organized Team Activities (or OTAs, for short). This is fancy lingo for practices in no pads, and drills with no tackling.
While that doesn’t sound nearly as exciting as the pads cracking in heavy doses of blunt force trauma (and trust me, it is not nearly as exciting), there are still some questions that will get answered, at least on a preliminary basis. After all, nothing is set in stone until late August, when it comes to the depth chart and the roster (and even then, it’s still a very soft form of stone).
So, with that in mind, here are four things on which I am anxious to get preliminary answers in OTAs this week:
The alignment of the first offensive line unit
The Texans went heavy, literally and figuratively, on revamping the offensive line, both in free agency and in the draft. GM Nick Caserio is hellbent on making sure that the offense matches the nastiness and physicality of the defense this season. To that end, he re-signed guard Ed Ingram, brought in free agent guard Wyatt Teller and tackle Braden Smith, and drafted guard/center Keylan Rutledge and guard/center Febechi Nwaiwu. That’s a lot of big bodies with a mean streak.
The team will run some 11-on-11 drills this week, so which combination of five linemen trot out there for reps on the first team is the question. The biggest potential “WOW” moment would be the rookie Rutledge trotting out with the first team at center, for sure. He’s rumored to be in the mix at that position, but did not play there in college.
Special teams will be a tell
There are all sorts of battles for 53-man roster spots on the defensive side of the ball. The top 15 or so players on defense are locked in, either as starters or key reserves. After that, it’s a free for all for depth spots at defensive end, linebacker, and in the secondary. When the team is in special teams drills, we will keep an eye on which players are on the first coverage and return teams. These units are usually filled with defensive reserves, and the roles on special teams may be a tell for who has the early lead on securing a roster spot. Again, it’s only May, and a lot can change, but special teams can be a tell.
What is Tank Dell doing?
The only information we have on Tank Dell’s recovery from his gruesome knee injury from December of 2024 is that (a) he looks quick and spry in several workout videos he’s posted, and (b) his coaches and the team’s GM have been extremely cautious in setting expectations for Dell’s full reintegration to football activities. Thus, I am expecting anything from Tank Dell working out on the side field with trainers to Tank Dell actively participating in, at a minimum, walk through drills, if not actual drills.
I have no idea what to expect, and that, by definition, makes this one of the biggest questions of the spring. Dell was a major impact player before his broken leg in 2023, and was just getting into his 2024 groove, when his knee got destroyed in a collision with teammate Jared Wayne in Kansas City in Week 16 of 2024.
What does C.J. Stroud have to say?
As far as Stroud goes, sure, I’m looking forward to seeing him in drills, see how he’s throwing the football, and get a look at his new, slender frame. Those things are all relevant. Mostly, though, I’m anxious for his press conference on Thursday, which will be his first interview since the four interception debacle in New England in the playoffs. This will also be the media’s first chance to ask Stroud about his contract status, in which it appears (outwardly, at least) that talks are dormant right now. Stroud has a chance to secure a record-setting contract with a good season, and he appears to be embracing the challenge.
