What to make of the Houston Texans’ 53-man roster

The Houston Texans made a series of moves throughout the offseason, and this is what their final roster looks like.

HOUSTON — When the Houston Texans open their 2021 campaign against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 12, they will do so with a completely different roster than the one that went 4-12 last season. Headline by quarterback Tyrod Taylor — who will likely start under center inside NRG Stadium — the ’21 Texans will feature 30 new players.

Houston’s 53-man roster came together during the NFL’s cutdown day late Tuesday afternoon when first-year general manager Nick Caserio released or waived 24 players.

Reducing a training camp roster to 53 of the team’s best players is always a daunting task for any general manager. But the decisions are made easier depending on the objective of the team ahead of the new season. And for the Texans, the objective in 2021 screams one word — rebuild.

“I’ll probably put my foot in my mouth for saying this, but it’s not as much outcome-oriented as process-oriented, and that’s what we’re trying to do and build,” Caserio said during his media availability on Wednesday. “What we’re trying to do is create a foundational culture where we have players who are tough-minded, who are selfless, who are going to work hard every day, and they’re going to compete their ass off. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

With the exception of Jaleel Johnson and Shyheim Carter’s releases — two defensive standouts from training camp and preseason play — the Texans’ defense did not see any significant changes. After all, this is a defense that totaled 10 takeaways in three preseason games, eclipsing their total number of nine in 2020.

The most noteworthy change on the defensive side of the ball was the trade that sent Shaq Lawson to the New York Jets. He was a prominent offseason acquisition who possessed the talent to boost Houston’s front four, but the emergence of Ross Blacklock, Roy Lopez and Jacob Martin played a factor in his jettison from Houston.

According to first-year head coach David Culley, Lawson happened to be in a position group with a lot of depth, and other guys were playing their best at that time. The Texans received a 2022 sixth-round pick in exchange for Lawson.

“We’ve made some plays, and we’ve turned the ball over,” Caserio said. “I think [that] side of the ball has played with a lot of effort. What you want to do is see a continuation of whatever you’re doing well. Hopefully, that translates and carries over into the regular season.”

The defensive players who survived cutdown day were straightforward with little to no surprises, but Houston’s most renowned decisions took place on the offensive side of the ball.

The Texans have spent the latter part of the last three seasons ranked amidst the top teams in passing yards, but that will not be the case in 2021. Houston is entering the ’21 campaign with five wide receivers on the roster — four due to the injured Anthony Miller.

They released two wide receivers and waived an additional pair at the deadline, which included the departure of Keke Coutee. There is an enormous concern given their diminished receiving core. But the Texans’ offense will hinge upon their run game next season — hints at the five running backs who made the 53-man roster.

When the Texans need an additional pass-catcher on certain drives, they will be able to use the flexibility of their three tight ends to fill the slot, according to Culley.

In three preseason games, the trio of Jordan Akins, Pharaoh Brown and Brevin Jordan recorded a combined 31 yards on three catches. Coutee notched 58 yards while leading the team in receptions with eight.

“I would say, certain positions we probably have a little bit more depth on the roster versus off,” Caserio said. “We’re going to look at everything. We’re not going to rule anything out. Will we have five receivers tomorrow? Maybe, maybe not. Will we have five receivers for the Jacksonville game? Probably, probably not. Could be more, could be less.”

The Texans’ lack of receivers and heavy focus on their run game could be an attempt to suppress their faltered quarterback situation. They gracelessly named Deshaun Watson to their 2021 roster, but the reigning NFL passing leader will likely miss the entire season due to his ongoing trade request.

Taylor and Davis Mills will be Houston’s presume active quarterbacks in 17 out of the next 18 weeks. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to discover that the Texans’ quarterback production next season will be a near 180 from that of Watson since 2017.

The Texans are handling Watson’s snafu situation on a day-to-day basis with no indication that the three-time pro-bowler will play this year.

The Texans’ 53-man roster will possibly experience several extensive alterations throughout the season — some as early as their Week 1 match against their AFC South counterparts.

Culley said he views the 13 players signed to the practice squad as an extension of their 53, while Caserio stated if there’s an opportunity for Houston to improve at any position, then they will go ahead and do it.

Although the roster overhaul will have the Texans looking drastically different from the year before, the results will likely remain the same. And in some cases, the results could be even worse.

“I think David and the staff have done a great job up to this point,” Caserio said. “We’re making progress. I’d say we’ve got a long way to go, we have a lot of work in front of us, and nothing’s going to happen overnight. We’re going to take it one day at a time, try to work as hard as we can, as best we can on a day-to-day basis, and we’ll see where we end up as we move forward.”

Texans working on chemistry, holding a barbecue instead of practice

The Houston Texans are holding a barbecue instead of practice to strengthen their cohesion.

The Houston Texans aren’t practicing with 10 days to go until their season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Sept. 12 at NRG Stadium.

According to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790, the team is holding a barbecue, a team-bonding event designed to strengthen the cohesion among the coaches and players.

The Texans face an uphill climb as they seek to win games in the NFL with a run-heavy offense backed by an opportunistic defense. Rookie coach David Culley certainly will have his own challenges as he becomes the top boss on the sideline for the first time in his career — ever, at any level.

“I like where we are from the standpoint of I like our effort and with what we have been trying to get done,” Culley told reporters on Aug. 31.

No word if quarterback Deshaun Watson is at the barbecue.

Why are the Texans carrying five running backs in today’s pass happy NFL?

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio provided a reason why the team is carrying five running backs on their active roster.

There is one curious aspect to the Houston Texans’ roster.

In an age where the NFL is more favorable to pass-heavy offenses, the Texans have staked their success on the run game, and are carrying five running backs on the roster in Mark Ingram, Phillip Lindsay, David Johnson, Rex Burkhead, and Scottie Phillips.

It would be like a modern office insisting that all physical documents be copied by mimeograph rather than even scanning them with a smart phone.

For general manager Nick Caserio, the heaviness at running back is more about roster construction getting out of cut day, and working with the fluidity of NFL rosters at this particular juncture of the season.

“One thing that you have to factor in is when you release a player off the roster and you put them on a waiver wire, you’re exposing them and you may or may not be able to get that player back,” Caserio said. “I wouldn’t say that’s always the case of why you keep a player on the roster. I would say other players earned the opportunity to be on the roster with their performance. You’re looking at both the short term and maybe thinking about a year from now.”

Caserio did make a humorous remark that the Texans “can’t put five running backs on the field unless we’re going to run the wishbone like Oklahoma did.”

Said Caserio: “Everyone thinks we are, but we’re not. You can only take so many to a game, so it’s about how you keep your depth on the roster, do you carry it off the roster, do you put it on the practice squad. That’s probably more the thought process than we want 26 running backs on the team.”

What is also curious about the Texans having five running backs on the active roster is they only have three tight ends in Jordan Akins, Pharaoh Brown, and rookie Brevin Jordan. Not even combo fullback-tight end Paul Quessenberry made the final roster, although he has been stashed on the practice squad along with fellow tight end Antony Auclair.

Texans RB Scottie Phillips says his fiancée found out he made the team before he did

RB Scottie Phillips says that his fiancée was the first to find out that he made the Houston Texans’ 53-man roster.

Scottie Phillips may have been first when it came to rushing yards for the Houston Texans in the preseason, but he wasn’t first when it came to the news that he made the team.

The former undrafted free agent from Ole Miss says that his fiancée, Brittani Powe, was the first to know that he made the Texans’ 53-man roster.

“Actually, my fiancé found out before me,” Phillips said. “I don’t know she found out, but she is the one who told me.”

After one of the longest 25-hour stretches of Phillips’ life, the wait was over. However, he didn’t celebrate much, despite all of the congratulatory texts from his agent, family, friends, and former coaches.

“I plan on doing it this weekend with my family,” said Phillips. “Go back home and celebrate a little bit.”

The 5-8, 209-pound running back says he is “grateful” to be on the Texans’ roster, and seeks to be one of the hardest workers on the team.

Said Phillips: “I feel like I am a back that can do a lot of good things. I can catch the ball, I can run it well and like you said I’m very confident in my abilities and for me it was just trusting the process and trusting the coaches and taking advantage of every opportunity I got.”

The Texans also have Pro Bowlers David Johnson, Mark Ingram, and Phillip Lindsay on the roster. Houston is also counting on former New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead to carry the load.

Phillips appeared in eight games last season, rushing twice for nine yards and catching a 7-yard pass. The 23-year-old also proved his versatility on special teams with five kickoffs returned for 96 yards, the longest return going for 26. Phillips played 109 special teams snaps last season compared to nine on offense.

GM Nick Caserio says Texans are handling Deshaun Watson day-to-day

Houston Texans general manager says that the team is taking the situation with QB Deshaun Watson day-to-day.

HOUSTON — The situation between the Houston Texans and Deshaun Watson continues to get more bizarre by the day. Seven months after requesting a trade from the organization in January, the Texans named Watson as one of 53 men on the roster entering the 2021 NFL season on Tuesday.

Adding Watson’s name to the team roster could result in the Texans paying their disgruntled star $10.5 million in 2021 — even if he doesn’t play a single down for Houston. In addition to his trade request, Watson is still under investigation for sexual misconduct in 22 civil cases, which could be the reason why the 25-year-old quarterback remains in Houston.

“Each day we are going to make the decision we feel is best,” general manager Nick Caserio said during his media availability on Wednesday. “It’s a one-step process. We are going to take it one day at a time. I am not going to get into a lot of speculations about what has happened or what did not happen. There is no finite answer. No definitive answer at this point.”

Since the start of training camp, Caserio said Watson has been inside the building every day attending meetings with his teammates while maintaining a good attitude. Caserio said he had multiple conversations with Watson, but failed to answer whether or not he will play this season.

“I think any conversation we have with a player, we are going to keep that between ourselves,” he said. “He hasn’t been a disruption.”

With Watson likely out for the season, the Texans have two other quarterbacks on their roster in Tyrod Taylor and third-round rookie Davis Mills. Taylor will enter training camp as the presumed quarterback.

5 big decisions the Texans had to make on their 53-man roster

The Houston Texans had some interesting moves they made to finalize their 53-man roster. Here are five big decisions they made.

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans cut their roster down to 53 on Tuesday as part of the NFL’s cutdown day. First-year general manager Nick Caserio released 24 players before the 3:00 p.m. Central Time deadline, and several roster cuts were a bit surprising.

With the way the roster stands as of now, Caserio will likely make more changes prior to the Texans’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 12. But for now, here are five of the biggest surprises from cutdown day.

“It’s tough, and what makes it even tougher is when you’ve had the competition that we’ve had with all the new players here,” coach David Culley said. “It becomes even tougher because we’re going to end up having to cut some guys who we feel like are good enough to play for us. But because of the numbers game, you’ve got to make those moves.”

See the Houston Texans’ 2021 roster after the cut to 53 players

Check out the Houston Texans’ roster after they finalized the process to get to 53 players.

The Houston Texans announced their final cuts to get to 53 men on their active roster.

There are some surprise moves. Deshaun Watson sticks around as the presumptive No. 3 quarterback on the roster. Receiver Keke Coutee was waived. The Texans also went with three tight ends and eight offensive linemen despite committing to the run in 2021.

Houston will still have some more moves to make as they finalize their 16-man practice squad. Those moves can being until after 11:00 a.m. Central Time on Sept. 1 when players clear through the waiver wire.

Here is a look at the Texans’ final roster as it stands on Aug. 31.

Texans waive receiver Keke Coutee to finalize 53-man roster

The Houston Texans have waived former 2018 fourth-round receiver Keke Coutee as a move to finish off their 53-man roster.

The Houston Texans waived Keke Coutee as part of their process to finalize a 53-man roster on Tuesday.

The waiving of Coutee could be the end of the 2018 fourth-round pick’s run in Houston. Coutee has to clear waivers before the Texans can try to sign him to their practice squad after 11:00 a.m. on Sept. 1.

Coutee told reporters on Aug. 3 that he could feel his growth as a player as he entered his fourth season in pro football.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot, this being my fourth year in the league,” Coutee said. “Obviously still have more to get better at as well, so I’m just focused on different, little things every day, just focusing on one thing at a time.”

Coutee led the Texans in preseason with six catches. However, his receiving yards, 58, were second to wideout Chris Moore’s 79. Coutee did not catch a touchdown pass as rookie Nico Collins and Jordan Veasy were the only Texans to do so in their three-game preseason.

The former Lufkin Panther did catch a two-point conversion and also returned a punt for 12 yards.

Coutee’s preseason wasn’t compromised by availability issues, as that was one of the areas that he worked on in the offseason.

Said Coutee: ““Just learning from my past situations, past injuries, as well, and just learning how to be a pro and take care of my body and just be out there as much as I can and just being available.”

The Coutee era may be over in Houston, but the former Texas Tech Red Raider should be able to contribute on an another NFL squad looking for a shifty slot receiver.

Through 23 career games, Coutee caught 83 passes for 941 yards and four touchdowns. He also took five carries for 14 yards and a touchdown. All three of his career 100-yard receiving games have come in the regular season or postseason against the Indianapolis Colts.

Texans are still No. 3 in waiver wire priority

The Houston Texans are behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets in the waiver wire priority.

With the Houston Texans, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

After training camp and the preseason, the AFC South club is still No. 3 in the waiver wire priority.

The only teams ahead of the Texans are the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets.

Teams have made their cuts to get to 53 players on their active roster. The next 24 hours are when players must pass through waivers before being signed back to a team’s practice squad.

Houston has the advantage to pick over some of the players clearing waivers. Presuming the Jaguars and Jets don’t put in the same claim for the player, he is assuredly going to the Texans.

The waiver wire will not alter until after Week 3 of the regular season when the worst team in the NFL goes to the top of the list and so on. For the next four weeks, general manager Nick Caserio has another tremendous asset to build the best possible roster in Houston.

Houston Texans roster moves tracker: Culling the players to get to 53

Follow along with all of the Houston Texans’ roster moves here as they finalize their 53-man roster.

The Houston Texans had to trim down to a 53-man roster by Aug. 31 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. Here are the official transactions:

 

RELEASED

Aug. 30 — OL Carson Green

Aug. 30 — RB Buddy Howell

Aug. 30 — G Danny Isidora

Aug. 30 — TE Ryan Izzo

Aug. 30 — CB Rasul Douglas

 

TRADE

Aug. 29 — DE Shaq Lawson

 

WAIVED-INJURED

Aug. 30 — LB Tae Davis

Aug. 30 — CB Cornell Armstrong