Way-Too-Early Predictions For The Texans' 53-Man Roster

With OTAs done with and nothing but a mandatory three day minicamp standing between us and actual training camp, I decided to go through the complete Texans' depth chart on Ourlads to try and piece together a way-too-early projection for the final 53-man roster. Please note that these predictions will almost certainly be changed several times in the lead up to Houston’s Week One showdown with the Chiefs.

Offense

QB: Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer, Tom Savage

RB: Arian Foster, Alfred Blue, Chris Polk

WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Cecil Shorts III, Nate Washington, Jaelen Strong, Damaris Johnson, Keith Mumphery

TE: Garrett Graham, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin

FB: Jay Prosch

LT: Duane Brown, Will Yeatman

LG: Xavier Su’a-Filo, David Quessenberry

C: Ben Jones

RG: Brandon Brooks

RT: Derek Newton

Defense

DE: J.J. Watt, Jared Crick, Christian Covington, Jeoffrey Pagan

NT: Vince Wilfork, Louis Nix III

SOLB: Whitney Mercilus, John Simon

ILB: Brian Cushing, Mike Mohamed, Benardrick McKinney, Akeem Dent, Jeff Tarpinian, Justin Tuggle

WOLB: Jadeveon Clowney, Lynden Trail, Jason Ankrah

CB: Johnathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, Kevin Johnson, A.J. Bouye, Darryl Morris, Charles James

SS: Eddie Pleasant, Reshard Cliett, Stevie Brown

FS: Rahim Moore, Andre Hal, Lonnie Ballentine

First things first, yes, I believe that Keshawn Martin will not make this team in 2015. Ironically enough, it is likely that his roster spot will be taken by fellow former Spartan Keith Mumphery, who has made a lot of positive impressions throughout this summer as a rookie. In addition, I believe that Andre Hal’s conversion to safety should stick long-term, considering how deep the team is at cornerback, how productive Hal was as a gunner on special teams, and how useful it is to have a safety that can drop down into the slot and cover receivers man-to-man. If I had to guess, Hal will likely be Rahim Moore’s primary backup.

I had a lot of trouble deciding on who will be the 53^rd man on the roster, but eventually I settled on Lynden Trail as a long, athletic project at outside linebacker who can probably contribute immediately on special teams early in his career. Considering his physical potential, do not be surprised if the team keeps him around as a rotational option while Jadeveon Clowney continues to recover from microfracture surgery.

What do you think, BRB? What did I get right, and what did I get wrong? Post your own 53 man roster predictions below in the comments while you’re at it.