Tag: Texans 2024 NFL season

Will Jeff Okudah play this week? Latest injury updates for Texans CB

Jeff Okudah has been on the injured reserve since he aggravated a hip against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1’s win.

The Houston Texans aren’t back to full strength yet, but they could gain an essential part of their defensive depth in the trenches for Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions on NBC.

Cornerback Jeff Okudah was cleared to return to practice for the first time in months on Monday. Here’s what happened and his current status entering Sunday Night’s matchup at NRG Stadium.

Jeff Okudah injury update

Okudah, one of Houston’s defensive additions this offseason, was placed on injured reserve after he aggravated a hip injury against the Indianapolis Colts. Serving as Houston’s No. 3 cornerback, Okudah was used in multiple formations opposite Derek Stingley Jr. and in place of the young Kamari Lassiter.

Houston elected to activate Okudah’s 21-day window to be restored to the active roster. The team will have until Nov. 25 to decide if they’ll bring him back to the 53-man squad or return him to the injured reserve for the remainder of the regular season.

Jeff Okudah stats

Drafted by the Lions out of Ohio State in 2020, the former No. 3 overall pick only recorded one tackle before being placed on the IR back in Week 1. A former All-American, Okduah played in 13 games last season for the Atlanta Falcons and had 44 tackles and three pass deflections.

Since leaving Columbus, Okudah has played in 38 games and has 31 career starts under his belt. He’s recorded 168 career tackles, two interceptions with one returned for a touchdown.

Texans CB depth chart

With Okudah out, it’s been a rotation of talent behind Lassiter and Stingley. Here’s the rest of the defensive ends on the active roster:

  • Derek Stingley Jr.
  • Kamari Lassiter
  • D’Angleo Ross
  • Kris Boyd
  • Ka’Dar Hollmon

Will Texans finally change offensive strategy vs. Bills?

The Houston Texans must make changes to the play-calling on first downs if they plan on securing more wins.

Death, taxes and first down runs. All three statements are realities Houston Texans fans must face in 2024.

Even with one of the league’s top duos in C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins, the Texans still trust their ground game on early downs. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik continues to draw up rushing formations on first-and-10 despite being without Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon.

The results aren’t kind. With a combination of Dare Ogunbowale and former second-round pick Cam Akers, the Texans rank 23rd nationally league-wide in EPA (expected points added) on run plays in 2024. Houston’s 19 first-down runs rank 31st, surpassing only the Las Vegas Raiders with 13.

Keep in mind the Texans have been limited with Mixon and Dameon Pierce sidelined the past two weeks. The hope is Mixon will play in Sunday’s Week 5 matchup against the Buffalo Bills after returning to practice last Friday.

But what version of Mixon will remain in Houston’s backfield this season? Is it the one who rushed for 151 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per attempt in Week 1’s win over the Colts?

Is it the version that only picked up two first downs and finished with less than 35 yards in Week 2’s victory over Chicago?

With Mixon, there’s a chance the ground game can have life on first downs. With Akers, it’s a D.O.A. situation.

Houston ran the football on 13 of the 25 first-down attempts against Jacksonville. The Texans ran it 15 times of the 23 attempts in Week 2’s home opener.

In both instances, the Texans often found themselves opening up the passing attack on either second-and-8 or second-and-7.

Mixon, who signed a three-year extension this offseason, was brought in because of his knowledge built around Slowik’s offensive approach. That was evident in Week 1’s matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium but put to the test in Week 2.

Slowik’s mindset isn’t predicated on the run. That would be foolish to assume, especially given Collins’ league-leading receiving record entering October.

The run game must be a part of Houston’s plan. The Texans have an offense, when fully healthy, capable of outgaining some of the league’s top defensive units regardless of the atmosphere.

Right now, it’s becoming predictable on how to slow down Houston. Change is needed in the play-calling, not the play-caller the Texans plan on securing their status of “postseason contender.”

Sunday’s matchup against the Bills might give fans an indication of the offensive strategy moving forward. Should Houston be limited on the grounds, fans should expect drives to start on second down rather than first for the remainder of the year.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud sets NFL record in Sunday night victory

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud made NFL history during the Texans 19-13 win over the Bears on Sunday Night Football in Week 2.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has had a historic start to his NFL career since arriving from Ohio State. On Sunday, he added another milestone in Houston’s 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears.

Stroud finished 23-of-36 passing for 260 yards and a touchdown. With a 16-yard pass to tight end Dalton Schultz in the fourth quarter, the former No. 2 overall pick surpassed Patrick Mahomes for the most passing yards in a player’s first 10 career home games, including playoffs.

Through 10 career home games, Stroud has averaged 301.6 passing yards per outing, nearly 70 more yards on the road stats. His best performance in H-Town was the Week 9 win against Tampa Bay, when he threw for 470 yards and five touchdowns.

Stroud entered 2024 as a bonafide MVP candidate and he’s done nothing to discredit the notion through games in which he’s completed 69.1% of his passes with 494 yards and three touchdowns.

Stroud and the Texans are 2-0 and already hold a two-game lead in the AFC South, as the rest of the teams are 0-2.

Houston hits the road in Week 3 to take on the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. Last week, Minnesota held the explosive San Francisco 49ers offense to 17 points.

Watch: Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. delievers sack on Bears QB Caleb Williams

The Houston Texans fans were on their feet after a sideline incident and Will Anderson Jr. kept them there with a third down sack.

An emotional defensive drive ends with a sack from Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr.

The reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year arrived on Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ blindside nearly untouched for a seven-yard sack to force fourth down.

https://twitter.com/HoustonTexans/status/1835509996374655028

On the third play of the drive, Williams threw across the field and Kamari Lassiter picked off the pass, but a defensive holding from Henry To’oTo’o wiped it away.

Later Williams attempted to scramble and Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair laid a huge hit along the Bears sideline.

Al-Shaair popped up and got into it with members of the Bears, fueling the home crowd. A skirmish occured but no penalty flags were called.

Anderson’s sack bring his total to 1.5 for the night entering the foruth quarter.

Watch: Texans DE Danielle Hunter records first sack in Houston

Houston Texans marquee signing Danielle Hunter tallied his first sack in a Texans uniform by meeting Will Anderson Jr. in the backfield.

Welcome to NRG Stadium, Danielle Hunter.

Hunter, the Houston Texans’ top defensive addition of the offseason, took down Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams for his first sack in Houston.

Hunter and reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. met in the backfield to bring down the No. 1 overall pick on third-and-9 for a 10-yard loss.

Hunter, 29, signed a two-year, $49 million deal with Houston in the offseason to chase a Lombardi trophy in his hometown. The former Minnesota Viking grew up in Katy and played high school football at Morton Ranch.

In Houston’s Week 1’s 29-27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts ,Hunter tallied two pressures

Last season was a career year for the four-time Pro Bowler, totaling 16.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss, both career highs.

Hunter’s sack limited Chicago to a field goal on its opening drive.

Every move the Texans made during preseason roster cuts

Here’s a quick recap of every move made by the Houston Texans en route to having the final 53-man roster entering the 2024 season.

The Texans’ debut 53-player roster is out now, and while that means we are one step closer to Houston kicking off its 2024 season. It also means the journey in H-Town has reached its final point for several players, including a handful who were expected to make the roster.

Houston can sign 16 players to its practice squad starting Wednesday afternoon — or 17 if it opts to keep International Pathway Player, Kilian Zierer, who is expected back for the 2024 campaign.

For now, 34 players who weren’t kept on the active roster or designated to a reserve list will hit the open market. It’ll be up to the Texans to decide who returns after clearing the waiver wire in the coming days.

Find every move Houston made during preseason roster cuts below.

Monday

Waived

DL McTelvin Agim

LB Tarquie Barnes

OL Dieter Eiselen

Released

LB Jacob Phillips

OT Cameron Erving

Tuesday

Waived

DE Solomon Byrd

WR Quintez Cephus

DE Malik Fisher

DE Ali Gaye

FB Troy Hairston

DL Marcus Harris

WR Johnny Johnson III

WR Ben Skowronek

CB Troy Pride

RB J.J. Taylor

LB Max Tooley

OT Kilian Zierer

Released

FB Nick Bawden

FB Andrew Beck

WR Noah Brown

QB Tim Boyle

CB Mike Ford

CB Desmond King

OT Charlie Heck

CB CJ Henderson

OL Chris Reed

DB Lonnie Johnson Jr.

CB D’Angelo Ross

OT David Sharpe

Waived via injury settlement

RB Jawhar Jordan

TE Teagan Quitoriano

DL Pheldarius Payne

Placed on injured reserve (designated to return)

LB Christian Harris

DL Kurt Hinish

Placed on reserve/injured list

QB Case Keenum

DB Brandon Hill

Placed on reserve/suspended list

DL Denico Autry

Placed on reserve/non-football illness list

DL Dylan Horton

Top images from Texans’ 28-10 win over the Giants

Check out some of the top photos from Saturday’s victory at NRG Stadium.

The Houston Texans improved to 2-1 in the preseason following a 28-10 win over the New York Giants.

C.J. Stroud completed 8 of 11 passes, including a first-down strike to newcomer Stefon Diggs, for 88 yards. John Metchie III was the star of the game with six catches for 68 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown.

Defensively, Jalen Pitre picked off Daniel Jones for a 6-yard touchdown on the second drive to give Houston an early 7-0 lead. Deep in the red zone, Derek Stingley Jr. intercepted a pass intended for former Tennessee star Jalin Hyatt.

Here are some of the top photos from Saturday’s contest at NRG Stadium.