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Hello! This is KPRC 2 Sports Director Randy McIlvoy checking in with your weekly Houston Texans Newsletter.
PRESEASON IS OVER
The Texans first opened training camp on a warm summer morning back on July 29 to begin their countdown to the new 2022 season. The guys ended their preseason slate Thursday night with an impressive 17-0 win over the San Francisco 49ers and now head into a period of evaluating over 80 players and figuring out who makes the final roster.
If you plan to follow the roster cuts, make sure to keep it here as KPRC 2 Sports contributor and Pro Football Network reporter Aaron Wilson will be on top of every move and will have the breaking news on the Texans section of Click2Houston.com.
The NFL imposed deadline is 3 p.m. on Tuesday when teams must get their rosters down to 53.
WHAT MOVES COULD GM NICK CASERIO MAKE NEXT WEEK?
This is where it gets fun to cover and watch things play out. The Texans will of course make major roster cuts from over 80 down to 53 but so will every other team. That means all GM’s and staffers will be closely monitoring each team and their moves. The Texans will be watching what players may be on the market who can help them here in Houston.
I fully expect the Texans to actively scan the cuts and wavier lists that will be freely flowing Monday and Tuesday.
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WHO STOOD OUT IN THE WIN OVER THE 49ERS?
Davis Mills: This was really an important game for Mills and the first team offense to come out and be productive. We hadn’t seen that in the previous two games but remember a lot of guys didn’t play. Thursday, Mills didn’t have LT Laremy Tunsil or WR Brandin Cooks on the field, but he still drove the first drive 85 to start the game and led the Texans to the endzone. Mills did the same to open the second half and again it resulted in a Texans touchdown. Mills finished the game 6/10 for 58 yards with a TD and an interception. He was also sacked twice.
The OL will need to continue to clean things up and get the protection in order. Having Tunsil out there September 11 will certainly be huge.
Dameon Pierce: The Texans rookie running back shined again after not playing versus the Rams last week. The 4th round pick was solid in week 1 against the Saints and again Thursday had 6 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown all on the Texans opening drive of the game. I’ve seen enough and honestly so has Lovie Smith. He hasn’t said it yet, but Pierce will be the starting running back. Also expect them to rotate Marlon Mack in as well. That’s a good one-two punch in the backfield. Hopefully it leads to production. Again, though it starts up front with the offensive line getting their act together consistently.
Jalen Pitre: The Texans rookie safety out of Baylor has proven he is a big-time playmaker. Thursday against the 49ers he finished with 5 tackles (4 solo) and 1 tackle for loss. The kid from Stafford, Texas can play. Get ready to see #5 blossom into an NFL star pretty quickly.
WHAT’S AHEAD?
The Texans will be off from practice but will still be training in the weight room and going through meetings over the weekend. Next week, workouts will resume at NRG Park. It will be strange Monday and Tuesday because that’s when the cuts will come. If I’m a player who’s on the bubble or clearly not going to make it, they will get a letter at their locker or be summoned to Lovie or a position coach to be given the bad news. That’s probably the toughest part of cuts because all of these guys have been together with the coaches and it’s like a true family atmosphere out there. Right now, it’s all about getting the roster firmed up and then it’s go time on September 11 at NRG when the Texans open the season against the Colts. The NFL regular season is almost here!