Tag: Houston Texans preseason

With Texans starting WRs out, preseason finale opens doors for roster spot

The Houston Texans receiver room has been the most fierce competition with John Metchie and Xavier Hutchinson among those active.

Throughout training camp, the top position battle to watch has been in the wide receiver room as the group possesses several capable NFL wideouts.

Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell all will sit out in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. Veteran Robert Woods earned the off day, and likely a spot on the 53-man roster — for look to keep him healthy for a trade — after producing the last two preseason games.

Among Houston’s active receivers is John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson, Ben Skowronek and Steven Sims.

Depending on how many wideouts the Texans keep, there are likely two to three spots remaining.

Veteran Noah Brown has not played throughout the preseason and his status is unknown. He may begin the year on injured reserve, which would open an additional spot in the receiver room.

Metchie had a breakout showing last week against the New York Giants with six catches for 68 yards and his first professional touchdown.

Between strong showings in practice and eight catches for 80 yards with another 27 on the ground, Hutchinson is another young receiver making it tough to leave him off the roster.

Sims and Skowronek are two versatile pieces that can also contribute on special teams. Sims had a punt return touchdown in the Texans Divisional Round loss to Baltimore and Skowronek arrived in Houston via trade with Los Angeles.

Case Keenum and Tim Boyle to play extensively in Texans final preseason game

The Houston Texans will have quarterbacks Case Keenum and Tim Boyle duel for the No. 3 spot on the roster in Saturday’s final preseason game

Tuesday is the deadline for the rosters to trim their roster, so several Houston Texans’ players are looking for one final opportunity to showcase their reasoning for being on the team.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud is not one of those players. Neither is backup Davis Mills.

Veteran Case Keenum and offseason signing Tim Boyle will play the entirety of quarterback reps against Los Angeles in a duel for the third quarterback spot.

Keenum will start the game as he did twice last season for Houston. He threw for 291 yards and a touchdown, helping the Texans secure a crucial victory over the Tennessee Titans late in the season.

Boyle spent last year with the New York Jets, earning two starts with both being losses. He threw for 360 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.

Keenum has the upper leg in nearly every statistical category through three preseason contests. He’s thrown for 52 more yards and two more touchdowns while completing passes at a nearly 11% higher rate.

Watch: Texans WR John Metchie III hauls in first professional TD

Three years in the making, Houston Texans receiver John Metchie finally has found the end zone.

It’s been a long road to the end zone in the NFL for former second-round pick John Metchie III.

He tore his ACL in the SEC Championship Game while at Alabama.

He missed all of his rookie season with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

After entering remission, Metchie contributed lightly during his sophomore season with the Houston Texans.

In the second quarter of Houston’s preseason matchup against the New York Giants, the moment he’s been working for finally arrived.

Metchie, who enters his third season, caught his professional touchdown on a 3-yard pass from quarterback Case Keenum.

Metchie’s score comes at the right time of the preseason as the receiver room competition heats up as the Texans enter the final week of the preseason. There are two receiver spots left and Metchie’s in the hunt with Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods, Steven Simms and Ben Skowronek.

Metchie had his most productive game as a pro in Houston’s wild-card round victory over the Cleveland Browns, totaling three catches for 44 yards, plus a 9-yard run. He’s provided consistency in practice while establishing himself as a top secondary target in Houston’s receiver rotation.

Despite a strong spring and start to training camp, Metchie has been quiet in the Texans’ first two games with two catches for 11 yards and a drop. He surpassed that stat line on the 12-play, 79-yard drive that ended in his score.

Metchie finished the first half with three catches for 33 yards. He and the Texans will start on offense to begin the third quarter.

Watch: Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. pick off Giants QB Daniel Jones

A Pro Bowl season could be in the works for Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. this up coming fall.

Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. missed an opportunity for an interception on the first defensive snap of the game.

He wasn’t going to miss twice.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones tested Stingley down the right sideline. The former All-American showed why he once was regarded as the nation’s top defensive back by picking off a pass intended for Jalin Hyatt.

As Stingley enters Year 3, he’s looking to build on his strong finish to last season’s Pro Bowl-esque campaign. He recorded five interceptions in the final nine games, including a stretch of four picks in three games from Week 11-13.

Stingley missed out on All-Pro recognition, but if he can stay healthy for an entire year, he’ll challenge the top corners in the league. Through two seasons, the former No. 3 overall pick played 20 of a possible 34 games.

With an inexperienced cornerback room that currently has rookie Kamari Lassiter as the No. 2, Stingley will shoulder the load of shutting down the team’s top wideouts.

Watch: WR Stefon Diggs makes first catch as member of Texans

Former All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs made his first catch with the Houston Texans since being traded to the team in the offseason.

After a week of the duo’s connection growing, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud connected with former All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs in a live game.

Stroud hit Diggs on a short route that gained nine yards to convert a third-and-two. The catch marked Diggs’ first since being acquired by the Texans in the offseason.

Houston’s risk not pay off the drive, eventually turning it over on downs in the red zone. Stroud was an effective 6-for-9 for 57 yards, connecting with four different targets.

Diggs came to Houston in an offseason trade that saw the Texans send a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for the Pro Bowl caliber wideout.

The Texans will receive to begin the second half.

Texans QB Davis Mills out against New York Giants

Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills is out for the team’s preseason contest against the New York Giants with bruised ribs.

The Houston Texans will play in front of the home crowd for the first time ahead of the 2024 season against the New York Giants but will have one notable admission.

Quarterback Davis Mills will not play due to a rib injury sustained in the Texans’ second preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mills, diagnosed with bruised ribs, had limited work throughout the week and did not practice at all on Thursday after initially being on the field at the start of the day.

Mills is expected to be the backup to C.J. Stroud in the 2024 season after putting together a solid training camp.

Mills, who started most of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, has put together promising results through two preseason games, completing 70% of his passes for 191 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers.

“He’s done a really good job for us all throughout training camp and the preseason, so [we] feel really good about Davis,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said. 

A third-round pick out of Stanford in 2021, Mills has started 26 games for Houston. While he never established himself as the team’s long-term answer, Mills has quietly transformed into one of the league’s top backups.

Mills’ ability to extend plays looks much improved from season’s past and it led to some of his best highlights during the first two preseason contests. 

His absence from Thursday’s practice sparked rumors of a potential trade with the Minnesota Vikings after losing rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy for the season to a meniscus injury, though it appears that Mills will be in Houston through the final year of his rookie contract.

Reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, along with a majority of starters, are expected to play most of the first quarter against the NFC East franchise. From there, a combination of Case Keenum and Tim Boyle will conclude the game.

Watch: Texans Pro Bowl DE Danielle Hunter records first sack of preseason

Houston Texans splash free agent signing, Danielle Hunter, recorded his first sack with the team in Friday’s preseason contest.

For the first time this preseason, starters took the field for the Houston Texans on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For the first time since putting pen to paper, Danielle Hunter made his presence felt as a member of DeMeco Ryans’ defense.

Hunter, the prized acquisition of the offseason, recorded his first sack in a Texans uniform by bringing down Steelers starter Justin Fields for a loss of eight yards on third down, forcing the Steelers to punt on their second drive.

The Texans would score on a 34-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud to Tank Dell on the following drive to make it 7-0.

Hunter, 29, joined Houston during free agency, agreeing to a two-year, $49 million deal with $48 million guaranteed. The signing paired him with reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr., who is not in action on Friday.

The Houston native Hunter spent nine years in Minnesota, playing eight and recording 87.5 sacks, including a career-high 16.5 last season along with 23 tackles for loss which led the NFL.