HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- The streak of days of August outdoor practice at temperatures below 80 degrees ended, sadly, at one day on Tuesday morning, as the Texans took the field under a cloudless sky and sweltering heat and humidity.
In other words, this was absolutely the most normal things have felt at Texans training camp since it got started over a week ago.
A lot going on with this team, as they head into an off day on Wednesday.
Here are the things that jumped out at me, as I was one of 10 media members allowed full access to practice and behind the scenes:
1. J.J. Watt was once again not out at the fields, presumably meaning he was working out somewhere over in the stadium, the practice bubble, or on his own.
Basically, when in doubt, just assume J.J. Watt is working out SOMEWHERE. His absence, though, means opportunity for others.
And it would appear that Charles Omenihu is sort of the "next man up" after Watt, a nice show of trust in a second-year player who was used just part time as a rookie last season, but who was productive when he got out there.
His 27 pressures last year were top five among rookies, and that was in just 41 percent of the snaps. Omenihu has had a nice camp, so far.
2. In the "opportunity knocks, seize it" category on the offensive side of the ball, no Will Fuller and no Brandin Cooks in the 11-on-11 drills means that there are young players with little experience who are getting a chance to work with Deshaun Watson.
Chad Hansen didn't flash quite as much today as he did earlier in camp, but Stevie Mitchell was again making plays.
Keke Coutee has been cited by Bill O'Brien as a guy who has come back focused and determined after a rough sophomore season.
3. By the way, even though he hasn't been playing in the 11-on-11 drills, Will Fuller is still out there in pads taking part in position group drills.
He went sleeveless Monday, since it was "surface of the sun" hot, and the hype around his workouts this offseason is real. Suns out, guns out for number 15.
Fuller looks yoked.
4. One other young receiver making an impression was fifth-round pick Isaiah Coulter, in his second day in pads. He made a spectacular high point, contested catch of a deep ball from Deshaun Watson in a 1-on-1 drill (Keion Crossen in coverage) for a touchdown.
Coulter slammed down hard after the catch, popped right back up, flipped the ball to the trainer, and got back in line. Cool to see.
5. In fact, while we are on rookies, CB John Reid had a couple pass breakups in the same drill.
The fourth-round pick out of Penn State was lauded by O'Brien for his maturity on draft weekend, and he doesn't appear to be overwhelmed at all with the speed of the NFL game.
Granted, he hasn't taken snaps yet against the Fullers, Cooks, and Cobbs of the NFL world, but so far, so good.
6. It was rough day for John Lopez "camp crush" (for TWO preseasons now), former Michigan RB Karan Higdon, who is in his second season as an employee of the Texans (practice squad last year).
In a goal line drill early in practice, Higdon fumbled as he was diving for the end zone, and then later in practice, he was stopped twice at the goal line by Zach Cunningham. I recommend Lopez change his camp crush Facebook status to "It's Complicated."
7. One of the things that is underrated in importance is the presence of a backup quarterback who can keep you competitive for a few weeks if Deshaun Watson suffers a mild injury (or God forbid, contracts COVID-19).
A.J. McCarron has won a few games in the league, but you wouldn't know it from Tuesday's practice. In simple drills with wide receivers, his timing seemed to be off, he sailed a few throws, and the offense was stuck in mud when he was skippering the 11-on-11 drills.
8. Overall, it was another good day for the defense in the situational drills, with the offense not really punching anything into the end zone (aside from a 1st-and-goal situation late in practice where Deshaun ran in an RPO, but it's tough to tell just how "real" that play is when the QB is on a "cannot hit him" mandate in the red jersey).
I found it interesting that during the first goal line drill, O'Brien seemed to have the sound crew turn the music way up. Maybe a nod to there being at least SOME fans in Arrowhead Stadium in Week 1? (In case you hadn't seen, it was announced the Chiefs' first three games would have 22 percent capacity.)
9. Second-year TE Kahale Warring was in uniform, and in pads, but did almost nothing today. I would kindly request you stop asking me about him until he catches a pass in a scrimmage or something.
For now, I'm assuming his future might be in water polo, more so than the NFL.Next practice is Thursday morning, and we will have you covered all camp long here on SportsRadio 610 and on SportsRadio610.com!
