Houston Texans Mini Camp Updates & NFL News
Last mini camp updates before the NFL vacation
This week’s newsletter will be a quick one and more Texans centric. I am working on a few projects to bridge time as we approach the only quiet section of the NFL calendar between this week and the end of July when training camps fire up.
Houston Texans Mandatory Mini Camp Notes
Laremy Tunsil
The first question on everyone’s mind heading into mandatory mini-camp…would Laremy Tunsil show up? If you follow along with my Twitter (@TexansCap) that would have been an easy question to answer.
Narrator’s Voice: Tunsil did show up at camp.
Tunsil appears to be in fantastic shape. From my eyes he appears to be a bit leaner as compared to 2021, with a stronger upper half frame build. Will the change transfer over to performance on the field? Time will tell.
Newly signed veteran edge rusher Jerry Hughes had his way with Tunsil in 11 v 11 on two snaps in a row getting to the quarterback with ease, only to be completely shut down by Tunsil on the third attempt. Hughes has some burst despite his age.
Second Year Players
An full offseason in an NFL work out program has paid dividends with second year players Nico Collins, Brevin Jordan, Garrett Wallow, and Roy Lopez. Collins’ stronger build jumped out at me when I first arrived to NRG on Tuesday.
Collins has put on additional muscle mass compared to last year. Brevin Jordan’s leg build would now qualify as large tree trunks. Roy Lopez looks leaner while still maintaining that defensive tackle frame. Wallow has made significant strides according to GM Nick Caserio.
Collins was having a time during one on one drills working with Mills on back shoulder end zone work. Working against DB Isaac Yiadom.
Davis Mills Command
One thing is very clear, this is Davis Mills’ team. Rumor has it Mills’ leadership and mentality are a bit different behind the scenes versus what we see on camera after practice.
Mills is locked in with his receivers. Following each play with discussion between offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and each wide receiver as the group continues to refine the footwork and timing.
Day 2 of practice in 11 v 11 was a marked improvement over Mills’ Day 1 work. Including a 60+ yard bomb to Chris Conley for a touchdown.
Two plays later Brandin Cooks shook DB Steven Nelson on a dig route, with Mills displaying excellent zip and arm strength. The throw was from the left hash to outside the numbers on the right side.
The drop off from Mills to Kyle Allen is very clear, and the drop off from Allen to Jeff Driskell is well…bad.
Speaking of Kyle Allen, he gave up a pick 6 to veteran star slot cornerback Tavierre Thomas. Thomas was happy to continue running back the play to the end zone in front of the offense.
Other Notes
The runningback group looks a bit more spry compared to 2021. Mack and Pierce are the clear 1-2 punch with Dare Ogunbowale pulling in some reps. Burkhead is seeing some work, as to be expected, but unfortunately he put the ball on the ground after a clever shovel pass during a red zone 11 on 11 set.
Jalen Pitre will be a 100% snap defender in this scheme. Having watched him line up in multiple spots, fans should be excited for what he brings to the table. Pitre snuck in a nice pass deflection on a Mills pass to Jalen Camp during 11 on 11.
Expect to see more action from the rest of the rookie class when training camp starts up in late July. Stingley has remained working on the side, Kenyon Green has seen limited snaps during practice, and John Metchie will be brought along slowly. I did not see (or could have just missed it) much of Christian Harris these two days.
The overall demeanor at camp was subdued but focused. Music is not as long as previous regimes. Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross is a wild man out there.
Houston Texans Salary Cap Update
The Texans will head into training camp with approximately $7.286 million available in cap space. The only minor detail I am missing is the injury settlement amount for Kolby Harvell-Peel, which should be a fairly small number.
As always this number is a projection based on available information.
Other NFL News
Hunter Renfrow Extension
Wide Receiver Hunter Renfrow and the Las Vegas Raiders agreed to a two year contract extension late last week. Renfrow was due to earn $2.54 million for the 2022 season prior to the extension. The contract came in at $31.7 million in new money with a $15.85 million APY.
The guarantee structure is a bit weak, but that is to be expected with the Raiders structure. Renfrow will receive a $9.18 million signing bonus. Renfrow essentially gets an $8.3 million dollar raise for 2022 with a $4.32 million guarantee for 2023 (and a vesting guarantee of an additional $6.5 million). Worth noting Las Vegas does include very early vesting dates, usually on the 5th day of the waiver period in February.
Although the “full guarantee” is $21 million, based on the vesting schedule the “functional guarantee” is $27.5 million. Las Vegas will have a decision heading into 2024. The contract will automatically void in February 2025, Las Vegas utilized two void years for salary cap purposes. The void will leave $3.672 million dead money on the Raiders salary cap in 2025.
As first glance this is a decent compromise by both sides. With the addition of Davante Adams and improved health of Darren Waller, the difficulty will be high for Renfrow to replicate his 2020 and 2021 performances.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
And just like that the safety market has been reset. Jamal Adams (S - Seattle) contract is now surpassed, which held the top of the market at $17.5 million APY.
Fitzpatrick’s 4 year extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers is, reportedly, 4 years worth $73.6 million with $36 million guaranteed. Further details have not become available to determine the guarantee schedule.
Most believe the guarantee will carry over into year 2. A year 2 guarantee up front deviates from the Pittsburgh model. Worth noting the organization had to deviate heavily to reach an agreement with TJ Watt in 2021. This marks the first big splash by newly promoted General Manager Omar Khan.
Fitzpatrick was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in September 2019 for a 1st found draft selection from Miami Dolphins after drafting him #11 overall during the 2018 draft. The Fitzpatrick trade was part of the sell off in 2019 when Miami started to rebuild the roster.
Quiet Calendar
The next six weeks marks the lone quiet part of the NFL calendar. I hope to continue developing some salary cap and contract related newsletters over that period before we dive head first into the training camp sessions.
Thanks,
-TC