(SportsRadio 610) -- Finally, the Texans are playing their first preseason game in nearly two years.
There has been a lot of anticipation for this moment, especially here at SportsRadio 610, because of so much roster turnover.
As it's been noted, very few starting jobs are solidified. And before the Texans can really talk about depth and versatility, they will have to cut their roster to 53 by the end of August.
No matter who plays, exactly, we want to see if there are any new wrinkles to this offseason. Tim Kelly is the holdover offensive coordinator from the Bill O'Brien staff, but now has the influence of new head coach David Culley and passing game coordinator-quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton.
"I think you're going to see a more efficient -- that doesn't mean better -- but a more efficient offense in terms of spreading the ball all over the field, utilizing the short passing game, getting the running backs more involved," original Texans defensive lineman Seth Payne said Friday morning on Payne and Pendergast. "That, and I think the tight ends will be pretty damn involved, too."
Can the Texans get pressure with a four-man rush?
That's where they had a really rough time last year. If the Texans wanted to get any pressure at all, they had to blitz because usually they were not winning one-on-one matchups up front.
But when the Texans blitzed, they were not very good at playing man defense on the back end.
If the defensive front can generate pressure in Lovie Smith's 4-3 scheme, the unit can at the very least get back to average from historically bad last year.
"We're not going to have a million blitzes and things like that," told SportsRadio 610 on Aug. 4. "We want to be able to put guys in position, first off, get good talent, put them in position, let them use those instincts to make plays. Eyes on the ball. ... As they talk about instincts, it's about eyes on the ball seeing that's where the take-aways come, and we'll be doing quite a bit of that."
We can all agree with Payne, who said Friday that goals and desires for this defense are meager in 2021. We just want them to be credible.
What happens with defensive holdovers?
The players who were part of this defense last season have to adapt and adjust to what Smith's doing.
Second-year defensive lineman Ross Blacklock, who appears to be a much better fit in this system than the previous, is one example.
Zach Cunningham is expected to thrive -- as many linebackers have -- but is playing more on the weakside than middle, where Houston now has Christian Kirksey.
It's a contract year for Justin Reid, but does Whitney Mercilus even make the team, in a crowded room of defensive ends and playing with his hand in the dirt for the first time in a decade?
Should we be concerned about the second-string offensive line, or excited about the second-string defensive line?
Often at these training practices, we've seen the second-string defensive linemen dominating their offensive counterparts.
Payne said it looked like the backup offensive linemen sometimes literally had their butts handed to them.
"Some of these interior defensive linemen, I like them because some of them you can just tell watching them play, they are kind of just junkyard dog, badasses," Payne said. "They kind of look like guys, they'd fight you. They play with a little bit of snarl to them.
"So like Vincent Taylor, Jaleel Johnson, Demarcus Walker -- I've seen flashes out of those guys where they've played like full-grown men. I hope it's because they've genuinely because they've got that potential and not just because the Texans' offensive line has a struggle."
Could the first special teams unit give us window into the wild-cards to make the 53-man roster?
It's unclear how first-year general manager Nick Caserio and head coach David Culley will decide what players first-year special teams coach Frank Ross get.
The front unit of special teams could give us a window into this.
Take cornerback Keion Crossen as an example. Here is someone who could make the team under Bill O'Brien just for his utility on special teams.
Injuries dictated Crossen see more playing time at corner last year than anyone anticipated, and he performed well.
Running back Buddy Howell is another example.
Pay attention to who is running down on the opening kickoff, or the first punt of the game. And how much do they use rookies in this capacity?
Listen to Payne and Pendergast, weekdays from 6 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Brandon Scott manages digital content for SportsRadio 610.