The Houston Texans completed Day 7 of training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center on Saturday. Here are few observations.
Injury bug bites again
The injury bug bit another Texans rookie and kept him out of practice on Saturday. Rookie linebacker Christian Harris joined his teammates on the sidelines but did not have on pads and did not participate in any drills. Harris was making strides by getting some time with the first-team defense.
“He’s not practicing,” said coach Lovie Smith. “Whenever a guy doesn’t practice, he has an injury that’s going to require good rehab. We’ll kind of let you know a little bit later on. If this was game week, I’d go into it a little bit more in detail but since it’s not, he didn’t practice today, and we’ll see about tomorrow.”
CB Steven Nelson is a perfect fit
Earlier this week, I told you about the battle between wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Steven Nelson. Even though Cooks is still leading in the one-on-one matchup, Nelson has made great strides to catch up to him. He has stacked back-to-back days of good play during 11-on-11 drills and continuously draws Smith’s praises.
“A lot of times, new guys, young players come in, older players from last year, but we like what we see in Steven Nelson,” Smith said. “He’s played a lot of ball. Started for Philly last year. He’s got a good skill set. Zone, smart, IQ guy. He’ll tackle, everything we’re looking for. You’ll see every rep that we have taken with the ones, he’s been out there, too. I just love his hunger for football, buying into how we do things. He’s going to help us an awful lot. He’ll be one of our starting corners of course.”
DE Derek Rivers is on a roll
Six-year veteran defensive lineman and former Super Bowl Champion Derek Rivers put together some great plays on Day 7. He found himself in the backfield numerous times and even had a few sacks on backup quarterback Kyle Allen.
Rivers, who signed a two-year deal with the Texans last December, knows that every rep for him is crucial as the Texans have a plethora of defensive linemen currently on the roster.
DT Ross Blacklock sticks to routine
Speaking of defensive linemen who stood out for the Texans on Saturday, third-year player Ross Blacklock was all over the field on Saturday during 11-on-11 drills. His coaches noticed his hustle, especially when he beat eight-year veteran A.J. Cann on a beautiful swim move to get into the backfield as the running back could barely slip from his grasp.
After practice, Blacklock spoke about what he has been working on all off-season. He hopes it transpires to the field this season.
“Routine-wise, coming out here earlier, working on my foot steps, my hands, violence, trying out things in individual periods, trying new moves and learning and dissecting the offensive line, stuff like that,” Blacklock told reporters. “Same stuff just more detailed, you know.”
Texans Tidbits
Lovie Smith announced that rookie cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. might not participate in the Texans’ first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints next Saturday at NRG Stadium. Stingley, who was selected third overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by Houston, is being brought along slowly by the Texans training staff after suffering from a Lisfranc injury last season at LSU.
“We’re not quite there yet,” coach Smith said about Stingley. “All of our players won’t play I’ll say that the first preseason game. We still haven’t determined of course how much. A lot of times when guys are coming off a major injury, we may wait a little bit, but we’ll decide that as much as anything for (Derek) Stingley. You see he’s out here practicing every day. He’s right on schedule.”
Quarterback Davis Mills has had a pretty impressive training camp as he continues to improve daily. His decision-making is improving, and he is learning to take what the defense gives him. During practice on Saturday, he threw consecutive touchdowns to wide receivers Nico Collins and Chris Conley while two defenders surrounded both.
