Tag: Texans roster

QB Davis Mills is the catalyst for optimism surrounding the Texans

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills leads the way for why optimism surrounds the team in 2022.

Some people are predicting the Houston Texans will be as bad or worse than they were in 2021.

Not Greg Cosell from NFL Films. Albeit the analyst, who joined 3HL on 104.5 “The Zone” [WGFX-FM] in Nashville, would not lay out a prediction for the Texans’ record, he did offer some optimism regarding the team.

“I actually think the Texans are going to be a better football team,” Cossel said. “First of all, Davis Mills really improved as the year went on, and I think he can be a solid NFL quarterback. And I think they made some meaningful draft picks, and I think they have some good players now. Again, like I said, I’m not going to speak about record, but I think Kenyon Green, who they drafted in the first round, will start and improve their O-line. I love John Metchie.”

Mills was the large reason for the optimism, particularly his ability to stand tall in the pocket while also having necessary ability. Cossel also praised Brandin Cooks.

Said Cossel: “He’s an efficient player who can make all of the throws, and I think he’s aggressive without being reckless. So, I’m looking for him to be a better player this year. And, believe it or not, Brandin Cooks, he has six 1,000-yard seasons in his eight years in the league. And I bet a lot of people don’t know that.”

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Texans waive Texas A&M OL Carson Green

The Houston Texans have waived offensive lineman Carson Green, who played college ball at Texas A&M.

The Houston Texans have waived Texas A&M offensive lineman Carson Green.

Houston re-signed Green on March 11. The former Southlake Carroll Dragon has been part of the Texans’ bottom part of the roster since they signed him as a priority free agent following the 2021 NFL draft.

Green played his high school ball for Southlake Carroll in north Texas. At Texas A&M, Green started 40 of his 48 games played for the Aggies as a tackle with most of those starts as a right tackle.

Green was signed after the 2021 NFL draft alongside fellow Aggie Ryan McCollum. The Texans have a former Texas A&M teammate of Green’s on the roster in first-round pick Kenyon Green.

Texans waive former Missouri WR Damon Hazelton

The Houston Texans have waived Damon Hazelton, a former Missouri Tigers receiver who was an undrafted free agent in 2021.

The Houston Texans are continuing to refine their offseason roster as they work through organized team activities.

The team announced Tuesday they have waived former Missouri receiver Damon Hazelton.

Hazelton, 25, was an undrafted free agent who spent portions of the 2021 offseason and training camp with the Texans. Houston initially waived the 6-3, 215-pound wideout on Aug. 11, 2021, and the Green Bay Packers signed Hazelton nine days later.

The Packers waived Hazelton at the end of preseason to finalize their 53-man roster.

Houston signed Hazelton to their practice squad on Oct. 6, but released on Dec. 8 to only sign him back to the practice squad three days later. The Texans signed Hazelton to a reserve/future contract on Jan. 11.

Texans will have to work with new NFL rules regarding injured reserve

The NFL altered their rules regarding the injured reserve, and the Houston Texans will have to adapt along with the other 31 clubs.

The NFL provided its 32 clubs with sundry roster exemptions and expansions to accommodate for playing football amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the league is starting to tighten up on those exceptions.

According to Mike Garafolo from the NFL Network, the NFL and the NFLPA have agreed to limit the number of players who can return from injured reserve in a given season along with how many times said player can return. The new wait time between designation and next game played increases from three from 2020-21 to four starting 2022. Practice squad players similarly have to wait four games between reserve designation and the next game played.

The parties have negotiated in good faith and agree to the following. Clubs are permitted to “designate for return” up to eight (8) players for return from the Reserve/Injured List and/or the Reserve/Non-Football Injury/Illness List to the Club’s 53-player Active/Inactive List or from the Practice Squad/Injured List to the Practice Squad. A player may be designated for return for a maximum of two (2) times in one (1) season, but each designation will count against the Club’s eight (8) permissible designations. A player designated for return from the Reserve/Injured List or the Reserve/Non-Football Injury Illness List is eligible to return to practice or the Active/Inactive List after four (4) games have elapsed since the date he was placed on the applicable Reserve list. A player designated for return from the Practice Squad/Injured List is eligible to return to the Practice Squad after four (4) games have elapsed since the date he was placed on the Practice Squad/Injured List. This agreement shall take effect immediately.

The cutdown on injured reserve placements and reactivations will make trimming down to a 53-man roster throughout the preseason more harrowing than last season. Clubs have to cut to 85 players after the first preseason game, 80 after the second, and finally a 53-man roster following the third and final preseason tilt. Practice squads are expected to stay at 16 players.

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Texans awarded 2 players off waivers among other roster moves

The Houston Texans made a bevy of roster moves, including the waiver claim of DB Kendall Sheffield from the Atlanta Falcons.

Talent evaluation and roster acquisition doesn’t stop simply because the NFL draft is over and free agency has dried up.

The Houston Texans were busy on Monday with a bevy of roster transactions — including the signings of rookies Kenyon Green and John Metchie.

Houston waived defensive backs Reggie Robinson and Kolby Harvell-Peel. For Harvell-Peel, according to Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network, if he goes unclaimed off waivers, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy reverts to injured reserve.

The Texans also put in waiver claims of their own and were awarded defensive back Kendall Sheffield from the Atlanta Falcons and receiver Connor Wedington from the San Francisco 49ers.

Sheffield played in 38 games for the Falcons over the past three seasons, starting in 20 of them. The former fourth-round pick from Ohio State generated 101 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, and six pass breakups in his time with Atlanta.

Wedington, a former Stanford product, spent time with the 49ers on their practice squad in 2021 after going undrafted.

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Nick Caserio could use 2024 to turn the Texans into contenders

Houston Texans general manager will probably rebuild the team over 2023. However, 2024 represents an opportunity to turn the team into contenders.

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio has been adept at turning nothing into something with the haul of draft picks the club has through the 2024 NFL draft.

Forget 2023 — the year after that has great draft capital as Houston will have two first-round picks, four top-100 selections, and a total of 10 selections for the draft, which will be held in Detroit.

The Texans entered the 2022 draft with the most selections with 13. However, Caserio managed to build packages with the picks to take nine players to infuse talent into the roster.

If Caserio already has 10 draft picks lined up for a draft that won’t even take place until two years from now, who knows how much more capital he will assemble?

The 2024 draft picks also are a chance for Houston to launch themselves into the contender category. Presumably the Texans should be able to complete the rebuild by the end of the 2023 season.

Just as Caserio is able to build packages to take specific draft prospects, he can use the 2024 picks to target specific veterans who could elevate the roster. If a salary cap-strapped team knows they can’t afford to pay their All-Pro talent, who may be in the final year of his contract, Caserio will have the picks and the cap space to acquire the veteran and give Houston another shot in the arm.

Coach Lovie Smith and the coaching staff have been citing the Cincinnati Bengals as the model for a quick turnaround, but even their success was attributed to doing it the Los Angeles Rams’ way: acquiring proven veteran talent. Homegrown talent can only carry a team so far. At some point, the front office has to take a chance and bring proven veteran talent to the roster to push the team over the top.

The Texans, thanks to Caserio’s draft-pick-flipping, will be able to target proven veterans in 2024.

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Texans GM Nick Caserio says there was no sense of urgency to nail every draft pick

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio says that there was no additional pressure to get every pick right in the 2022 NFL draft.

The 2022 NFL draft represented the first real chance for general manager Nick Caserio to fix the Houston Texans.

With the most selections entering the draft with 13, including twin first-round picks, six picks in the top-110, the Texans had an opportunity to add starter-quality talent to their roster that would develop over the next four seasons.

With great optimism also comes pressure to not spoil it, but Caserio said there was no additional pressure to get the picks right.

“The draft grades are meaningless,” Caserio said. “Whatever the draft grades are tomorrow, this team got an A, this guy got a B, based on what? Through what lens? These guys haven’t played one snap of football.”

Part of the reason why Caserio said there was no extra pressure regarding the draft is because a sense of urgency is prevalent on a daily basis at NRG Stadium, no matter what stage of the offseason or team-building process.

“Urgency is there every day,” said Caserio. “As we build the team, urgency to get good players on the team, whether it’s a guy that we draft, a guy that we work out as a free agent, a guy we sign as a free agent, a guy we trade for. There’s urgency every day. There’s urgency in the NFL.

“I would say there’s no additional pressure to hit on our picks. I don’t know what that means.”

Caserio also noted that while a team may select a player, in the end, the player has the ultimate say on whether he is a hit or miss for the organization.

Said Caserio: “Ultimately, the player’s performance will dictate whether or not he is a good player, he is not a good player. If it doesn’t work out, okay, we’ll move on from that player and go find somebody else. That’s our job. That mindset and that thought process is going to permeate our building for as long as I’m in charge.”

The average grade among media outlets is that the Texans earned a B-plus grade for their 2022 class. If the picks manifest into All-Pros, Pro Bowlers, and starters, then it will be the basis for a competitive roster in the near future.

Houston Texans 2022 undrafted free agent tracker

The Houston Texans have completed their 2022 NFL draft class. Now, the talent evaluation continues as they look at undrafted free agents.

The mad dash for priority free agents has kicked off now that the 2022 NFL draft is over. Keep up with all of the signings here.

Kolby Harvell-Peel — per the Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson

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Houston Texans and the 2022 NFL draft: Time, TV schedule and streaming info

The Houston Texans have two picks in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL draft. Find out how to catch all of the action here.

The Houston Texans are ready to turn the page on the bad times and inaugurate a new era of competitive football.

General manager Nick Caserio will have a first-round and second-round pick for the first time since taking over in January 2021. Not only do the Texans have their proprietary first-rounder at No. 3 overall, but Houston also has the Cleveland Browns’ No. 13 overall pick from a trade earlier this offseason.

To get ready for the draft, here is important information so you can catch the event. Follow the @TheTexansWire and the crew (@therealmarklane, @JohnHCrumpler)

Location: Multiple locations across Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Round 1: Thursday, April 28 from 7-11:30 p.m. CT on ABC, ABC App, ESPN, ESPN App, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network

Rounds 2 and 3: Fri, April 29 at 6-11:30 p.m. CT on ABC, ABC App, ESPN/ESPN2, ESPN App, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network

Rounds 4-7: Sat, April 30 at 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. CT on ABC, ABC App, ESPN/ESPN2, ESPN App, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network

Live stream: FuboTV

Radio: Sports Radio 610

Odds on who Texans take No. 3 overall: Derek Stingley, -115

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Texans QB Davis Mills rides the fine line between ‘confidence and cockiness’

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills says that he is trying to ride a line between being confident while avoiding being cocky.

Confidence is critical for a quarterback. The entire NFL is built around a quarterback’s ability to perform and win games.

The signal caller must exude confidence to his teammates. At the same time, he has to avoid being overconfident and allowing an avenue for downfall.

Davis Mills enters his second season with the Houston Texans, and the organization is committed to the former third-round pick as their man under center. As the former Stanford product works his way through the offseason workout program at NRG Stadium, Mills is deciphering more of the boundary between reality and delusion.

“I’ve always been a very confident player,” Mills told reporters on April 12. “I heard a quote back in the day, ‘There’s a fine line between confidence and cockiness,’ and you kind of want to be on the conservative side of it. But I’m kind of dancing on that border, so, I feel like I’ve done that well.”

Mills was humbled early in his NFL career. After taking over for Tyrod Taylor at halftime of Week 2 at the Cleveland Browns, resulting in a 31-21 loss, Mills went on a six-game losing streak to start his career. When Taylor came back but left with five games to go with a hyperextended left wrist (non-throwing), Mills posted a 2-3 record and made the Tennessee Titans sweat as they narrowly prevailed 28-25 in the season finale at NRG Stadium to secure the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

“I’m excited every day to go out and compete, so, I think that’s a big one,” said Mills. “A lot of it is just going out there and having confidence in those guys around you, too, and that’s what we’re doing in the offseason right now is coming together as a team and putting the work in, and kind of showing everybody that we’re here to work and we’re here to work as a team to get wins.”

The more that Mills is able to ride the correct side of the fine line, the productive the Texans’ offense should be in 2022.