Houston Texans Have Some Decisions to Make
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The preseason is now over with the league preparing to finalize their initial 53 man roster. As with many teams, Houston does have some tough decisions to make. This week’s newsletter will cover the league timeline and my initial 53 man roster projection.
NFL Timeline
Here are the key dates for this week for the Houston Texans:
Tuesday (August 29) 3pm CST
Teams must reduce their roster to 53 players.
PUP/NFI Reserve Players designated. This is applicable to offensive tackle Charlie Heck.
Players placed on Injured Reserve at this time are not eligible to be designated for return.
Wednesday (August 30) 11am CST
Claiming period for players available on waiver wire. Houston will be second (2nd) in the claiming order.
16 player Practice Squad signings commence.
Wednesday (August 30) 3pm CST
Players moved to Injured Reserve will be eligible to be designated for return during the season.
Houston will likely release a few veterans to accommodate carrying injured players to make them eligible for return. Followed by re-signing those veteran players once the injured reserve designation is complete.
Thursday (September 7) 3pm CST
Salary Cap accounting changes from Top 51 to Top 53.
53 Player Roster Projection
Quarterback (3):
C.J. Stroud, Davis Mills, Case Keenum
Runningback/Fullback (4):
Dameon Pierce, Devin Singletary, Mike Boone, Andrew Beck
Wide Receiver (6):
Nico Collins, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, Tank Dell, John Metchie, Xavier Hutchinson
Tight End (3):
Dalton Schultz, Teagan Quitoriano, TBA
Offensive Line (9):
Laremy Tunsil, Tytus Howard, Kenyon Green, Juice Scruggs, Shaq Mason, Josh Jones, George Fant, Michael Dieter, Jarrett Patterson
Defensive Interior (4):
Maliek Collins, Sheldon Rankins, Hassan Ridgeway, Roy Lopez
Defensive Edge (5):
Will Anderson, Jon Greenard, Jerry Hughes, Jacob Martin, Dylan Horton
Linebacker (5):
Denzel Perryman, Christian Harris, Blake Cashman, Henry To’oT'o’o, TBA
Cornerback (6):
Derek Stingley, Steven Nelson, Shaq Griffin, Ka’Dar Hollman, Desmond King, Tavierre Thomas
Safety (5):
Jalen Pitre, Jimmie Ward, Eric Murray, M.J. Stewart, Grayland Arnold
Special Teams (3):
Ka’imi Fairbairn, Ty Zentner, Jon Weeks
Injured/PUP Reserve (Eligible To Return)
Cam Johnston (P)
Thomas Booker (DT)
Charlie Heck (OT)
Brevin Jordan (TE)
Carrying 4 players on the initial 53 to move to IR will be difficult. The team will need to find 4 players that will be available for release/re-sign.
Tough Decisions
There are a few players that were difficult releases for me on this projection.
Cameron Dantzler…I really wanted to find a way for him to make the 53 man roster. The hope for me is Dantzler making it through waivers and returning to the practice squad.
The battle for the last defensive tackle spot between Roy Lopez, Kurt Hinnish, and Khalil Davis was monitored by many the past two weeks. Hinnish and Davis should be practice squad candidates, but Davis could end up on another team’s 53 man roster.
Dalton Keene came on strong in the New Orleans game at fullback. At this point I believe Andrew Beck offers more versatility as a full back and tight end. Keene should be a practice squad candidate.
Garrett Wallow, Cory Littleton, and Christian Kirksey out at Linebacker, with the team looking at the waiver wire for LB6.
Dare Ogunbowale loses the RB3 to a healthy Mike Boone. Ogunbowale should be a practice squad candidate.
Brandon Hill to injured reserve (red shirt year).
Steven Sims could be a practice squad candidate after not making the final roster. Carrying 7 receivers was too difficult with the roster construction. The team has other options for return duty in Desmond King and Tank Dell.
Later this week I will take a look at game film from the New Orleans game for potential review material. This week is very busy for us at OverTheCap with roster reductions this week.
-TC