Texans rookie CB Kamari Lassiter will not play in Hall of Fame Game

Fans of the Houston Texans will have to wait at least one more week to see rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter in action.

Kamari Lassiter has been one of the top standouts since the start of offseason workouts. He’s been so consistent that he’ll have time to rest before returning to practice next week. 

According to KPRC 2 Sports, Lassiter will not play Thursday night in the Hall of Fame against the Chicago Bears. The second-round pick will rest with a majority of starters heading into next week’s preseason matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

While Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said that rookies would see extensive playing time against the Bears, he also told SportsRadio 610 that starters would not be active since the team still would have three more preseason games. 

“When I look at the decision-making process of who’s playing, first thing’s first is we have an extra [preseason] game,” Ryans told Texans’ play-by-play announcer Mark Vandermeer. “So, [we] don’t want any of our starters out there playing.” 

Going off Ryans’ comments, it would appear that Lassiter has all but earned the starting No. 2 cornerback spot opposite Derek Stingley Jr. The former Georgia product was expected to compete for starting reps at the nickel position, but blossomed in the early stages of OTAs. 

So far during training camp, Lassiter has worked exclusively on the boundary with the first-team defense and thrived in man coverage. He’s garnered praise from Ryans and veteran receivers for his attention to detail and physical demeanor.

“[He’s] definitely the best young DB I’ve seen coming out of college that I’ve had the chance to go against,” receiver Noah Brown said following Monday’s practice. “He’s very sticky in coverage, very confident in his ability and I think if he keeps on the pace that he’s at, he could have an elite rookie season and an elite career.”

Lassiter, the No. 42 overall pick, shined as a starter during his three seasons at Georgia. During his final year in Athens, he held opposing quarterbacks to a  38.5 percent completion rate, the lowest among SEC defenders and fourth-lowest among FBS cornerbacks.

“He’s not scared to stand up there at the line with you,” Brown said. “He’s not backpedaling out early. He’s trying to get hands on. He’s confident in his ability and you can tell through his play.”

Kickoff from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.