HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- In what has already been and will continue to be an historic NFL preseason, two days of Texans practice at a highly cleansed and sterilized NRG Stadium are in the books.
Storylines are beginning to formulate, lines are being drawn in battles for roster spots ... in short, the FUN TIMES ARE HERE!
Let’s lay out exactly what’s gone down over the last 72 hours, and set the stage going forward for this week. Here we go ....
FOUR WINNERS
4. Sanitization
If the NFL regular season, for reasons related to COVID-19, doesn’t come off and gets cancelled, it will not be for a lack of effort. The Texans are going to EXTREME measures to keep practice and meetings as sanitized and socially distanced, respectively, as possible.
At practice, there are no more community water coolers (individual bottled waters!), balls are getting swapped out uber frequently, and everyone (media included) is wearing KINEXON sensors to tell them/us when we are within six feet of anyone else wearing one.
Full disclosure — they upload all the data from those sensors to the NFL after every practice. For the media, our social distancing report card on Day 1 was not great. Day 2, much better. Just out here getting better every day, Coach!
3. David Johnson
Look, until Johnson gets on the field in a regular season game, maybe several actually, Texan fans will be understandably skeptical, and I’m not here to give him an A+ for the course after one pop quiz, but I’m just telling you that the pop quiz was damn impressive. Johnson looks to be in phenomenal condition, is fluid in his cuts, and looks engaged and ready. I’m excited to watch this progress.
2. Chad Hansen
When you’re a career practice squad guy and the coach mentions your name multiple times in press conferences with enthusiasm this early in training camp, that’s a good sign.
Hey, with the the health history of the front line receivers, there is a spot on this roster for capable backup receivers. With rookie Isaiah Coulter and veteran Kenny Stills both not practicing, Hansen has seized the early opportunity to make an impression, excelling in one-on-one drills and making plays in 11-on-11. The battle behind Fuller, Cooks, and Cobb at WR could be very interesting.
1. Justin Reid
The Texans didn’t do nearly the roster churn on defense that they did at the skill positions on offense, so if there is to be improvement in 2020 (and there needs to be), it must come from within.
To me, aside from scheme changes with new DC Anthony Weaver, Justin Reid’s improvement in health and just the natural progression from Year 2 to Year 3 represent the key chance to get better on defense. He looks amazing the first couple days. Smooth, energetic, fearless, all good!
FOUR LOSERS
4. People who tackle in practice
The thing about padded practices is that, while there is contact, guys are not supposed to throw themselves or their teammates to the ground.
That’s when unnecessary injuries happen. I don’t want to share the exact words Bill O’Brien used, because they weren’t family friendly, but it’s safe to say, O’Brien does NOT like when his guys disobey the “no going to the ground” order.
3. People wanting to view J.J. Watt do football things
Two days in, here is what we’ve seen from Watt so far — suites up Day 1, he did a few one-on-one drills then largely watched everything else like the rest of us, and Day 2, honestly, I didn’t see him at the Methodist practice bubble.
Here’s the thing — this is all OK! Watt disclosed this past week that he, Bill O’Brien, and Jack Easterby all sat down and came up with a plan for him to enter the season as healthy as he’s been. Watt has held up his end of the bargain, coming back in phenomenal shape.
Now it’s up to the coaches to manage his preseason workload. That’s what they’re doing.
2. Duke Ejiofor
Man, 2018 feels like forever ago with this kid, who flashed HUGE in his rookie training camp with a couple sacks, but saw the field sparingly his rookie year.
Then before 2019, he shreds his Achilles’ tendon and is done for the year before training camp even begins. Finally, he gets back on the field fully recovered in 2020, and in the very first practice goes down with a torn ACL. I don’t know how these guys do it sometimes.
1. Fans with tickets to the home opener
It was announced Friday afternoon that the Texans will play their Week 2 home opener against the Baltimore Ravens with no fans in the stands. I hate you, COVID.
So if you’re a season ticket holder who was riding out the storm, you won’t get to boo reigning MVP Lamar Jackson. Not in person, at least. This isn’t a big surprise, and it’s in line with how diligent and cautious the Texans have been in keeping COVID out of their building. We will see what happens in October.
FOUR QUESTIONS WE HOPE TO GET ANSWERED THIS WEEK
4. Can David Johnson keep ascending?
Let’s hope so. The Texans need him to be at least 80 percent of what he was at his 2016 peak. And Bill O’Brien, the GM who traded DeAndre Hopkins, REALLY needs it.
3. Which rookies will flash?
DT Ross Blacklock, OLB Jonathan Greenard, and CB John Reid have all gotten sparking reports so far, but there’s been very little contact football played.
Soon there will be scrimmages to really find out where they’re at, but I’m cautiously optimistic that the Texans got these picks right.
2. Will we see some of the core guys do more?
Watt wasn’t the only one doing very little actual football work the first two days. Benardrick McKinney had what amounted to an in-uniform day off on Saturday.
Will Fuller, Brandon Cooks, and Randall Cobb have been almost nonexistent in 11-on-11 drills. Hoping to see more of all of them this week.
1. Can we keep the COVID sheet spotless?
The Texans are one of six teams with a spotless COVID sheet. They’re doing a phenomenal job, and I’m praying that I, a media scrub, am not the one who breaks this streak of perfection. So far, so good! Five days, five negative tests for me!
Back at it later today. Keep it tuned to SportsRadio 610 for the beat coverage of Texans Camp!