Tag: Texans OTAs

Which Texans players missed voluntary OTA workouts?

A handful of players were not at the Houston Texans’ voluntary offseason workouts on Tuesday.

C.J. Stroud delivered a beautiful spiral downfield to Tank Dell for a first down. Then, just like the hundreds of times last season, he connected with Nico Collins for a 15-yard pickup.

Yes, the Houston Texans are back like they never left for the start of organized team activities [OTAs] as they look to build off their AFC South-winning season.

Well, almost all of them are back. After all, it is a voluntary workout.

While newcomers Joe Mixon, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Jeff Okudah were in attendance, Danielle Hunter and Stefon Diggs were not. Offensive tackles Tytus Howard and Laremy Tunsil, plus offensive guard Shaq Mason also were absent. 

Tunsil, a four-time Pro Bowler, usually works out away from the facility during OTAs and never attends this part of camp. Howard, the Texans’ expected starting correct tackle, is coming from a season-ending leg injury and is still undergoing rehab.

Mason, who joined Houston last offseason, also is recovering from last season, but should be back for the start of mandatory camp next month. Diggs and Hunter, who previously were teammates with the Minnesota Vikings, might not have participated on Tuesday during drills, but both have been in the building throughout the offseason for different events.

“It’s been fun to work with him. It’s been fun just to see the chemistry that starts to build in our locker room with him, our quarterback, the other receivers, offensive players, defensive players,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said of Diggs. “He’s going to be a really great fit with what we do here.”

The Texans are expected to be an AFC contender in 2024, but everything starts with setting a tone in OTAs. Ryans, who enters his second season with the franchise, is looking to give newcomers a baseline for what’s to come in training camp later this summer. 

Well, that, plus any chance to get bodies acclimated to Houston’s humid mornings is an essential bonus. 

“That’s the main thing about this time – it’s not about physicality,” Ryans said. “We’re not truly competing and going against each other, but it’s a matter of guys getting in shape to give themselves an opportunity to compete when training camp comes.”

How WR Nico Collins could be Julio Jones in Texans’ new offense

Houston Texans WR Nico Collins has been studying former Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones and his similar role in 2016 | from @JohnHCrumpler

The 2016 Atlanta Falcons may have been the perfect embodiment of a Kyle Shanahan offense. The group may be remembered for their 28-3 Super Bowl collapse, but they only got there through scoring an NFL record 540 points that season on their way to an 11-5 record and NFC Championship.

The team saw pinpoint accuracy from 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan. They featured running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman in the passing game to a tune of over 100 targets. Shanahan’s unit led the league on use of play action with 27.6% of their plays and the Falcons were top-5 in both passing and rushing yards in what was a preview of the dominant offenses he’d go on to form as the San Francisco 49ers coach.

Atlanta also featured, and was largely built around, the presence of All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones. Jones had 83 receptions for 1,409 yards during the Super Bowl season and had 136 receptions for 1,871 yards during Shanahan’s first year in 2015.

The Houston Texans are running a variation of the Shanahan scheme with new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator last year. Collins provided a similar receiver comparison in the scheme.

“Yeah, Julio. Julio Jones,” Collins told reporters June 6 after organized team activities. “Coach [Slowik], he pulled clips from Atlanta and watched Julio run it. San Fran’s concepts, same offense, you know. Just watching guys run that route. It’s slot-work. So, for me, it’s get better in the slot. Add that to your bag, you know? Nothing to it. Just a route.”

Jones is a lofty comparison for any young receiver. However, his answer to this is certainly an interesting one as fans speculate where Collins fits into the west coast style offense. They’re two of the most hyper athletic wideouts that will have been asked to function in a Shanahan-type scheme to date. Their height alone places them away from comparisons such as Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel who have thrived in the offense all at 6-0 and under.

Jones yard/reception and yards/target totals during the 2016 campaign were some of his best ever and it could signal a potential role for Collins as the perimeter receiver in the offense. He’s one of the fastest receivers currently on the roster and has a size/strength combination that should allow him to win physically against boundary corners. Collins may be one of the team’s best bets to win in the intermediate to deep range amongst a cast of smaller wideouts.

Another interesting component would be that Collins’ specified Jones ability to shift towards the slot. Jones was top-5 in DYAR during 2016 from both the slot and the perimeter per Football Outsiders and, despite his size, took over 50% of his snaps from that position.

Houston is currently loaded at the stock position with rookie Tank Dell and second-year wideout John Metchie largely considered “slot only” players in conjunction with Robert Woods’ dominance at the position. Collins could create matchup nightmares should he develop the route running to shift inside on occasion, but it would require creativity from Slowik to create with others on the perimeter.

It will be very difficult for Collins to replicate Jones’ dominance, regardless of where he lines up on the field. It is encouraging that he’s studying a similar athletic comparison entering the new scheme. To date, the former 2021 third-rounder has only 70 receptions for 927 yards and three touchdowns through his first two seasons. It’s more than a stone’s throw from Jones early career path that led him to be the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 receiving yards.

Fans will have to wait and see how Slowik optimizes both Collins and the rest of the receiving staff this season. Their individual growth could play huge dividends for the success of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.

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Former Michigan WR Nico Collins teases new Texans QB C.J. Stroud about Ohio State

Houston Texans WR Nico Collins is sure to remind rookie QB C.J. Stroud of what has happened in the Michigan vs. Ohio State rivalry.

Nico Collins and C.J. Stroud are opposites.

Collins left Michigan after the 2020 season while Stroud was Ohio State’s starting quarterback the past two seasons.

The former Wolverine is sure to remind his Buckeye signal caller who has been on top in the Big Ten rivalry since 2021.

“Go Blue — tell him, ‘Go Blue,'” Collins told reporters after organized team activities on June 6.

Stroud was Ohio State’s quarterback the past two seasons. Michigan got the better of the Buckeyes 42-27 at Ann Arbor in 2021 and then 45-23 at Columbus in 2022. Michigan leads the overall series 60-51-6.

The rookie quarterback has stats he can throw Collins’ way, such as Ohio State winning eight in a row from 2012-19, and that Collins never got to experience beating his school’s arch rival.

However, their college days are behind them. Collins is entering his third NFL season and also his third new offensive scheme. The key is to build rapport with Stroud, not remind him of old boundaries.

“C.J. man, the sky’s the limit for him,” Collins said. “He’s a great quarterback, and I’m glad he’s a part of this team. And we’re all coming out every day to work, get better.”

The Texans hired former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as their sixth full-time coach in team history. As such, Ryans took from Kyle Shanahan’s cupboard for an offensive coordinator in Bobby Slowik, who was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2022.

“We learned a new offense,” said Collins. “As a team, as a unit, new coaching staff, new energy, new juice. So, we’re coming every day, and when we step between the lines, it’s time to work.”

Collins caught 37 passes for 481 yards and two touchdowns through 10 games last season, seven of which he started. The 6-4, 215-pound wideout improved his stats in every category compared to his 14-game rookie season.

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Texans RB Dameon Piere won’t ‘spill the beans’ on role in new offense

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce likes what he has seen from the new offense, but does not want to “spill the beans” with details.

It is only natural for a running back to be excited when his team hires a Kyle Shanahan protege as their new offensive coordinator.

With new coach DeMeco Ryans came former San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik as the new Houston Texans offensive coordinator. The 49ers were known for their rushing offense with 4.7 yards per carry, tied for eighth-most in the NFL, and the eighth-most rushing yards per game at 138.8.

Second-year running back Dameon Pierce could not hold back his enthusiasm when meeting with reporters June 6 after organized team activities.

“Oh, the more ways I can get the ball, the better, baby,” Pierce said. “I love that. I love that. But, I’ve got a lot of great guys to look at. Most recently, probably Christian McCaffrey. He thrived last year in the league, in his offense he’s just getting out of the backfield, getting in the flat, catching hitches or whatever the case may be. There’s multiple ways to get a running back the ball.”

McCaffrey generated 159 carries for 746 yards and six touchdowns along with 52 catches for 464 yards and four touchdowns in his 11 games for San Francisco following a trade with the Carolina Panthers.

However, Pierce believes his teammates in Devin Singletary and Dare Ogunbowale can provide effective models on how to thrive in the new offense.

Said Pierce: “We’ve got a lot of great third down backs. A lot of guys that I can model my game after and a lot of guys that I can learn from.”

Nevertheless McCaffrey was the first to come to Pierce’s mind because of his production and working with Slowik with the 49ers.

“It just really exemplifies Slo’s offense, more specially, his cut ups with the option routes, the angles, the whip routes. ” Pierce said. “I’m not going to say too much because I don’t want to spill the beans too much, but, yeah.”

Pierce tallied 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns for the Texans through 13 games last season, finishing third in the NFL among rookies in rushing yards.

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Texans RB Dameon Pierce says he is ‘always talking ball’ with Devin Singletary

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce says that he is constantly talking about the game when he interacts with new teammate Devin Singletary.

The Houston Texans have a dominant running back in Dameon Pierce. Nevertheless the organization signed former Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary in free agency in March.

Pierce, a 2022 fourth-round pick, doesn’t see Singletary as a threat. Rather, he views him as a resource.

“Every time we talk, we’re always talking ball,” Pierce told reporters after organized team activities June 6. “I’m always asking — because he’s a shiftier kind of guy, more of a in-space type of player — I’m not asking him what he’s doing, I’m asking, ‘What are you thinking when you’re doing it?’”

Singletary generated 3,151 yards and 16 touchdowns on 672 carries along with 145 receptions for 971 yards and four touchdowns through 61 games for the Bills. What Pierce has noticed from his conversations with Singletary is his deliberate approach to the game.

Said Pierce: “He’s a very intentional player. The more I get to pick his brain, the more I get into his mindset of how he sees the game, how he sees the play develop. It’s really simple. Sometimes it’s as simple as, ‘Hey, man. He’s dropping, bro. What I’m thinking is, I’m sitting right here.’ Just simple stuff like that.”

The potential is evident with Pierce, who had 939 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 220 carries through 13 games as a rookie. With a new offense directed by coordinator Bobby Slowik placing an emphasis on the run game, both backs will have their opportunities to showcase their complementary styles.

“He’s been a great help, a great mentor so far during OTAs, and I look forward to keep picking his brain,” Pierce said.

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Jimmie Ward gives boost to ascending Texans secondary

The addition of safety Jimmie Ward was a boon for a Houston Texans secondary that was already on the upswing.

The Houston Texans already had a promising secondary heading into the new league year.

Second-round safety Jalen Pitre led the defense with 147 combined tackles and five interceptions. The Baylor product managed to win the starting job and relegated Eric Murray to a reserve role as Pitre started all 17 games.

Throw in first-round cornerback Derek Stingley, who had his season limited to nine games due to a hamstring injury, and the Texans have two young pieces to make their backend formidable in the coming seasons.

However, the signing of Jimmie Ward in free agency was a move that made Houston better on the backend in the present.

According to Dalton Wasserman from Pro Football Focus, the former San Francisco 49ers defensive back ranks as the 14th-best safety in the NFL.

One of the most versatile players on this list, Ward moved almost exclusively to the slot in 2022 after several years of acting as a more movable chess piece. Ward figures to go back to his old role in Houston with DeMeco Ryans running the show, and even if he doesn’t, he will likely be very productive. Ward’s 91.4 run-defense grade last season should immensely help the Texans’ league-worst run defense.

Ryans particularly appreciates Ward’s ability to stay versatile, a key in today’s NFL that features offenses attacking a variety of ways.

“With the secondary, with the way the game is going, it’s more pass-heavy all throughout the NFL,” Ryans said on June 6 after organized team activities. “So, the more versatility that you can have in your back end, whether you’re playing a nickel or a dime defense, the more defensive backs you can have to cover and do multiple things, the better off you can be when you’re trying to strategize against these different opponents that run more RPO game, more passing threats.”

Houston having a top-15 talent in the secondary to go along with their young talent creates an opportunity to have a stingy defense at some level in 2023.

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WATCH: Texans argue which Gatorade flavor is the best at OTAs

Some Houston Texans players past and present weighed in on which Gatorade flavor was the best at OTAs.

The Houston Texans got to the bottom of a fundamental issue during the third week of organized team activities.

Which flavor of Gatorade is the best?

The Texans’ media team released a video on its social media accounts getting the players’ responses.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud answered with “lime green,” which could be either Lemon-Lime or Lime Cucumber.

Defensive end Jerry Hughes declared that the best flavor was “red,” which is known as Fruit Punch.

Texans Ring of Honor receiver Andre Johnson stated his favorite flavor was “orange,” which is actually Orange.

Michael Jordan’s favorite Gatorade flavor in the 1990s was “Citrus Cooler.”

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans ‘fired up’ to work with LB Denzel Perryman

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans is looking forward to working with former Pro Bowl linebacker Denzel Perryman.

The Houston Texans added talent to their linebacking corps with the signing of Denzel Perryman during free agency.

The 5-11, 240-pounder has been sidelined for much of the on-field portion of the Texans’ offseason program as Perryman rehabilitates from labrum surgery. The former 2021 Pro Bowler made his way to the practice field June 6 during the Texans’ organized team activities at Houston Methodist Training Center.

“Hopefully he’s not hitting anybody right now,” coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters. “It’s good to see him back out there.”

Players won’t be able to have contact until training camp in late July. Nevertheless Perryman can demonstrate what he has learned about the Texans’ defensive schemes and apply it the walkthrough setting that OTAs offers.

Ryans, a former linebacker from 2006-15 and a linebackers coach from 2018-20, is aware of the talent Perryman can bring to the defense. Through 96 career games with the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders, Perryman collected 586 combined tackles with 45 tackles for loss.

“I’m fired up to work with him,” Ryans said. “He’s been a pleasure to have, great energy. [You] feel the leadership, what he brings to our entire team, and it’s been fun to work with [him]. I’m excited to see him come training camp.”

The Texans’ linebacking corps has a bevy of young talent to mix in with Perryman, including third-year Garret Wallow, second-year Christian Harris, and fifth-round Henry To’oTo’o.

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DeMeco Ryans acknowledges former Texans visiting OTAs

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans appreciated former players, including WR Andre Johnson, stopping by at OTAs.

Though the Houston Texans have had their share of struggles over the last several seasons the hype surrounding the team is at an all-time high.

Whether it is hiring a former franchise hero in DeMeco Ryans as coach or taking C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson back-to-back in the 2023 NFL draft, there is plenty of energy on Kirby Drive.

The Texans appear to be back on the path to relevance, and with some of the best players in team history making an appearance at organized team activities June 6, it was like a stamp of approval.

Among those in attendance were legendary receiver Andre Johnson, former linebacker Kailee Wong, and former guards Chester Pitts and Fred Weary — all of whom played with Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans in Houston.

Ryans commented on the reunion with his former teammates after the team’s practice session, pointing out that the presence of such decorated players provided plenty of motivation for his upstart Texans.

“It was awesome to see a lot of former players — guys who laid the foundation here for this Texans organization,” Ryans said. “So, I was excited to see those guys out [here] and it was fun to talk to them and just let them know how much our guys appreciate their support – how much it means to us to have their support.”

Ryans went on to reiterate that these outstanding players were foundational pieces of the Texans’ franchise, and committed to doing the all-time greats proud as he revamps Houston’s reputation as a competitive football team.

“Everything that we do, they laid the foundation for our players that are here right now,” said Ryans. “And for our players that are here, it’s about just doing everything we can to be the best that we are on Sundays to make those guys proud.”

For a team that is as young as the Texans, visits like these from players so crucial to the franchise’s coming of age in the mid-2000s should serve as a reminder that Houston holds the key to its destiny in its hands heading into the new season, and has plenty of support behind them.

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Texans RT Tytus Howard leads by example in OL room

Houston Texans right tackle Tytus Howard continues to lead by example in the offensive line room as he enters his fifth season.

Most individuals treat their birthday like it is a national holiday. They want the day and themselves to be recognized for its greatness in their minds, and one thing you will rarely find them doing is working on their actual birthday, especially voluntarily, which is almost absurd to think about.

That logic may apply to some, but it doesn’t when you are trying to build on being one of the best right tackles in the NFL.

Houston Texans offensive lineman Tytus Howard spent most of his birthday going through different drills and learning the new offensive system of coordinator, Bobby Slowik.

Yet, his presence was his most significant contribution to the Texans during voluntary OTAs.

“I think it means a lot for him to be here,” said offensive line coach Chris Strausser about Howard’s presence. “To show up every day as he does and lead the group will have a big impact on the younger guys.”

Howard, who was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, is coming off one of his best seasons, where he played 997 offensive snaps allowing just three sacks and five quarterback hits. He earned a career-high 67.9 grade from Pro Football Focus as he helped form a dynamic offensive tackle duo with 2022 Pro Bowl teammate and good friend Laremy Tunsil.

Houston had shown that they are willing to invest in the offensive line by making Tunsil the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL when they signed him to a three-year, $75 million contract extension this past offseason. They also acquired offensive guard Shaq Mason via trade and signed him to a three-year, $36 million contract extension.

Although the Texans exercised the fifth-year option on Howard’s contract, it only makes sense that they would negotiate to keep him with the team long-term, especially since they drafted rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud who they see as a potential franchise quarterback in Houston.

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