Houston’s first week of Training Camp has wrapped, and honestly, it’s been a total rollercoaster with everything from rookies flashing potential to some absolutely brutal injuries. But the biggest shocker coming out of the Houston Methodist Training Center? The Texans’ own PR department has been trying to run interference on what media can even report, clamping down on depth charts, player groupings, and roster configurations. Seriously, how illogical is that when there are eight practices open to the public? Fans are gonna find out what’s up one way or another, and trying to hide it just makes us dig harder. It’s pretty embarrassing, actually. The word on the street, if you catch my drift, is that first-rounder Keylan Rutledge isn’t looking great and isn’t even practicing with the first or second string. And get this: the PR staff flat out told media they can’t report offensive line combinations. If you wanna know who’s starting up front, you gotta show up yourself. Prepare for a ton of shuffling early in camp.
Roster Shakes Up With Injuries and Surprising Successes
Amidst the PR drama, we’ve seen some guys really step up. Justin Watson, the wide receiver, has pretty much carved out a spot for himself on this roster as an integral part of the system. It happened fast, with not much production yet, but his blocking and route running are gold in Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley’s eyes. Plus, the injury to Jaylin Noel has opened up a ton of reps for Watson. Depending on Noel’s return timeline, Watson is on the inside track to not just make the roster, but start as the WR3. You love to see a vet make the most of an opportunity like that.
Special Teams Takes a Massive Hit Early
On the flip side, the special teams unit is reeling. Jaylin Noel, Jake Hansen, and M.J. Stewart are all sidelined with various injuries and are likely out for a good chunk of time. These guys were slated to be huge contributors, with Noel handling kick and punt returns, Hansen being a tackling machine, and Stewart a phenomenal kickoff specialist. While Noel and Stewart should be back later in the season, this group has taken a serious blow, and we’re not even three days into practice. Talk about a bad break! The silver lining? Thanks to all this injury attrition, Marte Mapu and Wade Woodaz have gone from being on the fringes to stepping right into backup linebacker roles. With Jake Hansen’s foot injury and E.J. Speed’s quad injury zapping the depth, Mapu and Woodaz are now tasked with picking up those reps and assuming those roles. And in another blow for the unit, special teams linebacker Jake Hummel, who was in line to earn a roster spot, also finds his stock heading down.
With camp still in full swing, you know the coaching staff is going to be watching Mapu, Woodaz, and Watson super closely. What they do in the next few weeks will dictate a lot about the final roster. We’ll be keeping an eye on how these new opportunities pan out and who else rises to the challenge before the regular season kicks off!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Battle Red Blog.
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