The Houston Texans have quality top depth in their receiving corps that goes four men deep with Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks, Will Fuller, and Kenny Stills.
How would a young receiver, or a wideout on the bubble, ever get a chance to make his case for the coaches, especially in a training camp that lacks preseason games?
According to coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, the top four receivers are having their reps managed throughout camp. As a result, it gives the younger receivers a shot to catch the coaches’ eyes.
“You look at a guy like Chad Hansen, he’s had a really good training camp,” O’Brien said. “He’s in the hunt here. You look at a guy like Stevie Mitchell, who had a touchdown catch [Monday]. Isaiah Coulter and Tyler Simmons — they’re coming along, they’re working hard, they’re trying to get better.”
Hansen is 25 years old and is four seasons removed from being the New York Jets’ fourth-round pick in 2017. However, he is “young” in terms of his actual reps; seeing just nine catches for 94 yards in the 15 games he played all in his rookie year. The 6-2, 202-pound wideout has not given up on himself, and worked out with Deshaun Watson in California.
Coulter, the club’s fifth-round rookie, and Simmons, their undrafted rookie, don’t have the benefit of preseason to learn the speed of pro football. Every rep they can get in training camp will slowly build their NFL experience, save for playing in actual games.
They’re a long way off, though,” said O’Brien. “It’s just hard for a rookie right now.”
The opening up of reps also allows for an interesting three-way battle between Mitchell, DeAndre Carter, and Keke Coutee. The three can compete against each other at receiver, but Carter and Coutee also have the ability to extend their battle for a roster spot by carrying over in punt return duties.
Said O’Brien: “Keke Coutee has had a really good camp. DeAndre Carter is a very solid player. It’s a very competitive position. It’s going to be a tough conversation relative to how many you would keep on the 53. All those guys are working really hard.”
Houston is evaluating their depth at receiver, and whoever makes the 53-man roster at that position will have been tested throughout training camp and ought to be ready to contribute.
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