Texans Rosterology: Pre-Training Camp Edition Making the 53 man roster for any NFL team is tough work. The uphill battle begins when you
walk in the building during OTAs and minicamp; it does not end until September
1st
Xavier Crawford Jersey Womens , when the league mandates roster cuts. There are some important dates ahead in the football season, but roster cuts are
always part of the more interesting narratives in the offseason. Last year
started a new era in the NFL, one where there is only one roster cut - from 90
to 53 - instead of a preliminary cut to 75 after Week 3 of the preseason. This
change allows every player on the roster to get a better look by the franchise
they signed with, but it consequently blurs the line for us to see who has
separated themselves from the pack at training camp.As a result, every Monday
and Friday until the first 53-man roster is released I will deliver to you
updates on the players at training camp who are battling for the final spots on
the team. The last spots on the roster are always up for grabs, and as the
Texans found out (and the Eagles demonstrated) last year, having depth can make
or break your season. The Texans have 90 men on the roster as of now. The battle
for the last 8-10 spots on the team will be a vigorous competition between
unproven veterans looking to prolong their career in the NFL and newcomers
looking to begin their career in the NFL. For more clarification, I’ll list out
the supposed depth chart as the roster would stand today at the end of this
article each week. Safe, But In Position BattlesStephen AndersonAnderson was
good for about one or two catches every game this past season. Will that
workload be increased now that C.J. Fiedorowicz is gone?Will Anderson’s targets
get gobbled up by the many other mouths to feed? The Texans have four tight ends
with legitimate claims to roster spots, but there may be only three spots to be
had. Anderson in his third season must make leaps in route running and blocking
to see more time on the field. Corey MooreThis past season was a streaky one for
Corey. He started the season as a major contributor in the secondary, playing
68.8% and 85.9% of the defensive snaps in the Texans’ first two games. After
that, he played less and less until he was placed on IR during the last week of
the season. Moore is used to battling for a roster spot; his entire career since
being signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Texans in 2015 hasn’t
given him any reason to feel like he’s a lock for the roster. He is now up
against Kevin Johnson, Kurtis Drummond, and a flurry of rookie defensive backs
looking to start their careers.Alfred BlueThe Love Ya (Alfred) Blue days are
still rolling along as the Texans re-signed Blue to a one-year contract about
three months ago, With D’Onta Foreman’s injury last season, Blue stepped up and
was a relatively productive backup running back. His return to Houston for
another season is due to the trepidation behind both Foreman and Tyler Ervin’s
injury recovery and potential availability for the start of the season. Blue
could easily seal his spot on the roster with a quality preseason of good reps,
or he could be the first to fall off the 53-man roster when the younger, more
agile running backs get back to health.Tyler ErvinAnother running back on this
list shows that there is not much confidence in this entire group. I said
earlier in the offseason that Ervin would make this team over Braxton Miller,
and I have not seen anything that changes my mind about that. The injury-prone
running back really must flash his talents in the coming weeks, because the
Texans have given him a ton of slack after putting him on IR for the past two
years. I am definitely an Ervin fan, but the Texans cannot waste their time on a
third-year project. Last Four InTreston DecoudThe move from corner to safety
should fit Decoud’s skill set better, but may not increase his playing time by
much. Although Decoud was a renowned tackler at Oregon State, he must prove that
he can be a long-term option for this team. Young safeties take time to develop
- and given the circumstances and having seen his play last season - Decoud
should be on the roster come September 1st, but he needs to show out during
training camp.Kyle FullerFuller was a sufficient guard late in the season when
everyone was injured. He is a massive figure and is a prototypical guard in this
offense. The biggest need for the Texans is on the offensive line; if Fuller
could develop into even a rotational guard piece
Xavier Crawford Houston Texans Jersey , it would take a giant load off. Coming from Baylor, Fuller’s technique was definitely in need of reconstruction. I wrote
previously that I believe he will become a long lasting part of the Texans’
offense with some time to develop.Braxton MillerProbably the best match-up of
the offseason will be Braxton vs. Keke Coutee. We have been waiting awhile for
Braxton to turn the corner in his NFL career. Watch any highlight video of
Miller in college and you will immediately start dreaming of that athleticism on
the same field with Deshaun Watson. The slot receiver battle for Houston will
definitely be one to watch. As of now, Miller is in, but one slip up and he is a
free agent.Joe Webb IIIWebb’s here because the Texans do not like to keep more
than two quarterbacks on the active roster at a time - I do not know why since
we have such a GREAT history of healthy QBs.Webb can contribute on special teams
as well, which makes him a unique option to have in Houston. If Watson stays
healthy and the team has other needs, Webb could be placed on the practice squad
or jettisoned fairly quickly.First Four OutKurtis DrummondThe Texans made the
secondary a priority this past offseason. Adding Tyrann Mathieu and Justin Reid,
combined with Kareem Jackson switching to safety, immediately swipes roster
spots away from other defensive backs. Drummond played only 7.23% of the plays
on defense and was primarily a special teams asset last year. Although Drummond
has been with the Texans for a couple years now, he will be in a dogfight to
make the roster.Sammie CoatesThere are a lot of factors that could affect
Coates’ future with the Texans, like the tight end battle, injury, and changes
in the offense, just to name a few. All of those will be deemed insignificant if
Coates can resurrect his career during training camp by demonstrating his
top-level speed and decent hands. He needs to be more than a Will Fuller backup
plan - he has to be a deep ball threat as well as a red zone target. Don't sleep
on Coates, but as of now, it is an uphill battle for him.Jermaine Kelly Jr.
Rookie seventh round draft picks have a hard time making this, or nearly any,
roster. The Texans have a history of drafting defensive backs late in the draft,
so it will be interesting to see if Kelly Jr. is a playmaker or not. We could
desperately use him on special teams and in nickel packages. He’s a tall corner,
but he does not have the athleticism to keep up with top level receivers. Due to
depth and unknown talent, I have Kelly on the outside looking in.Chis ThompsonI
like what Chris Thompson has to offer: a speedy receiver who runs good routes in
the middle of the field. The numbers game has Thompson on the free agent market
after camp, but you can tell the Texans see him as a weapon and do not want to
give up too quickly on his career. Biggest RiserTerry SwansonI have been high on
Swanson since the Texans signed him as an UDFA. Even Swanson’s former teammate
Kareem Hunt has voiced his own excitement about Swanson when he told “Good
Morning Football” that “this young cat has got some skills”. It won’t take long
for a running back to shine in this system, and Swanson could quickly make a
move up the depth chart in the coming weeks.Biggest FallerKurtis DrummondSee
above.The Texans have acquired talent that will leapfrog Drummond on the depth
chart, but his reliability on special teams makes him hard to move on from. With
that, here is the current projected Texans’ 53-man roster:LDE: J.J.
Watt
Xavier Crawford Jersey 2019 , Carlos WatkinsNT: D.J Reader, Brandon Dunn,RDE: Christian Covington, Joel HeathLOLB: Whitney Mercilus, Brennan Scarlett, Peter
KalambayiILB: Benardrick McKinney, Brian PetersILB: Zach Cunningham, Dylan
ColeROLB: Jadeveon Clowney, Duke EjioforCB: Aaron Colvin, Kevin JohnsonCB:
Jonathan Joseph, Johnson BademosiFS: Justin Reid, Kareem Jackson, Treston
DecoudSS: Tyrann Mathieu, Corey MooreQB: Deshaun Watson, Brandon Weeden, Joe
Webb IIIFB: Jay ProschRB: Lamar Miller, D’Onta Foreman, Alfred Blue, Tyler
ErvinTE: Stephen Anderson, Ryan Griffin, Jordan Akins, Jordan ThomasWR: DeAndre
Hopkins, Keke Coutee, Braxton Miller WR: Will Fuller
Xavier Crawford Jersey Mens , Bruce EllingtonLT: Julie’n Davenport, Kendall LammLG: Zach Fulton, Kyle FullerC: Nick Martin, Greg ManczRG: Senio KelemeteRT: Seantrel
Henderson, Martinas RankinLS: Jon WeeksK: Ka’imi FairbairnP: Shane Lechler The
2019 NFL Combine is coming up. Here’s how you can watch."Today is February 11th
2019. NFL Football has been over for a week now. The exploits and conversation
have already left 2018 behind, and the offseason is in full swing. In two weeks
the next BIG football thing happens. The NFL Combine. The combine begins on
February 26th with players arriving and registering. Offensive linemen, kickers,
punters, running backs, wide receivers, defensive linemen, linebackers,
defensive backs, and quarterbacks will be interviewing, running fast, pushing
weights and jumping high to complete their first big job interview out of
college. The dates for the combine are located here for each position group with
kickers, offensive linemen, and running backs arriving first. You can watch all
the drills LIVE on the NFL Network. March 1st will broadcast the running backs,
offensive linemen, special teams, and place kickers. March 2nd will broadcast
the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends. March 3rd will broadcast the
defensive linemen and linebackers. March 4th will broadcast the defensive backs.
You can click here to see who will be participating. Get your hips swiveling
kids. The NFL combine will be here before you know it.
