Houston Texans Rosterology: July 27, 2018

Two days in the record books for training camp, but definitely still a long way to go. Although I am not at Texans Training Camp at The Greenbier in West Virginia, I am scouring every source imaginable to bring you the most complete and in-depth prediction on the Texans’ likely 53 man roster. Although this article is being released after the Texans second day in training camp, these predictions are based off of just one day’s work. Let’s waste no time and jump right into the deep end of the “Rosterology” waters.

Just call me Kenneth Lunardi...or not...

Safe, But In Position Battles

Corey Moore

Sifting through Twitter and transcripts, Moore seems to be on his way up and out of this article’s domain. Yes, there are three other safeties (Tyrann Mathieu, Justin Reid, Kareem Jackson) locked into high-impact roles, but Moore is in a position to carve himself out a legitimate backup spot. He must fend off Treston Decoud and others to keep his increasingly safe position.

Alfred Blue

Blue is not moving from his spot either due to D’Onta Foreman starting camp on the PUP list. Honestly, the current second-string RB has no place in a post such as this, but because Foreman is due to come back at some point and the Texans have a stable of young, hungry running backs looking to make the roster, Blue is still in danger of losing his spot. The LSU product is no Leonard Fournette, but he’s a good athlete to have on the squad.

Braxton Miller

According to John Harris, Braxton Miller had a good first day at camp. He reportedly caught several passes in team drills.

Imagine if Miller can turn into a short yardage machine with agility like no one else on this team. Yes, the waiting game has been long and painful for Miller, but switching positions successfully does not happen overnight. This is only based on one day of training camp, but from all of the information I gathered, Miller is safer today than he was yesterday. The slot receiver battle is going to be won by the the player who can cause defenses the most problems.

Tyler Ervin

Not much movement on Ervin. He was on the field yesterday practicing with the team, which is a good sign for his injury recovery. Two years of bad luck have kept Ervin off the field, so it will be interesting to see if he still possesses the same speed and fluidity he once had. Ervin stays in this group as the third string back with a ton of potential.

Last Four In

Treston Decoud

Decoud will have to bring speed and knowledge to training camp. As a younger safety, he is not only going to have to outwork Corey Moore and Kurtis Drummond, but also be a better coverage safety than they are. Definitely one to watch.

Kyle Fuller

I’m bumping Fuller up a notch due to the overall depth of the offensive line. Watching more tape from this past season, you could see a slow comfort beginning to build within Fuller. Although the Texans were not in pads, it will be important to see where the Texans have him on their depth chart.

Joe Webb III

QB3 really depends on need and health. If the Texans become more confident in Watson’s knee, they may drop Webb from the 53. Images of him at training camp show a long body and athletic stature. While watching NFL Network, I saw Webb lining up with the punt return team as an edge rusher to pressure the punter. It’s an interesting position for a QB to be in, but he looks to be contributing as expected.

Kurtis Drummond

He is definitely in the competition, but after Day 1 of training camp and looking at the team’s depth, I think Drummond is right on the edge of making the roster. Drummond will have to continue to battle to stay on this side of the roster cuts.

First Four Out

Stephen Anderson

A ton of positivity for the two rookie tight ends came out of the first day of training camp. It is getting harder and harder for me to see the Texans keeping four TEs on this roster, especially with Anderson not being a good blocker. Jordan Akins, selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, has similar skill set to Anderson but can extend the field more than the veteran. Jordan Thomas, selected in the sixth round, should turn out to be a better blocker than Anderson. With that, Anderson becomes the first casualty of this series of posts, moved out of the starting lineup and off the roster entirely.

Sammie Coates

Coates was featured in a Houston Texans article yesterday, but the reality is that he checks a lot of boxes that you want in a wide receiver. When healthy, Coates can stretch the field and be a dynamic option the Texans need.

Terry Swanson

The guys over at Sports Radio 610 spent some time yesterday gushing over Swanson. I have definitely spent some time doing that, too. With D’Onta Foreman starting the season on the PUP list, it gives every other RB a better chance to shine during practice. Swanson is quick and powerful, yet he would not be the ideal substitute if Foreman cannot start.

Chis Thompson

Nothing to really see here, which is definitely not a good thing since getting people talking about you is the name of the game for training camp. An uphill battle may be getting steeper for Thompson.

Biggest Riser

Terry Swanson

He keeps his title as the “Biggest Riser” for now with a long road still ahead. If the Texans bring in a veteran RB, this kid may slide very fast. However, preseason football will show if he has the technique to play in the NFL.

Biggest Faller

Jermaine Kelly Jr.

Kelly Jr. will start his pro career on the Physically Unable to Play (PUP) list. As a rookie, starting the season on the PUP list puts you way behind the 8-ball. The seventh round pick still has a ton to prove and cannot do so while in physical therapy. He may already be looking at spending this season on the practice squad

Player to Watch

Dee Virgin

Not because I heard that he did anything special so far, but rather because he played some significant snaps for us last year. I usually prefer a player who knows the system over one that does not. It may be a crowded position, but reps at cornerback are definitely up for grabs, and Virgin has the chance to snatch some.

With that, here is my current projected Texans’ 53-man roster:

LDE: J.J. Watt, Carlos Watkins

NT: D.J Reader, Brandon Dunn,

RDE: Christian Covington, Joel Heath

LOLB: Whitney Mercilus, Brennan Scarlett, Peter Kalambayi

ILB: Benardrick McKinney, Brian Peters

ILB: Zach Cunningham, Dylan Cole

ROLB: Jadeveon Clowney, Duke Ejiofor

CB: Aaron Colvin, Kevin Johnson

CB: Jonathan Joseph, Johnson Bademosi

FS: Justin Reid, Kareem Jackson, Treston Decoud

SS: Tyrann Mathieu, Corey Moore, Kurtis Drummond

QB: Deshaun Watson, Brandon Weeden, Joe Webb III

FB: Jay Prosch

RB: Lamar Miller, D’Onta Foreman, Alfred Blue, Tyler Ervin

TE: Ryan Griffin, Jordan Akins, Jordan Thomas

WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Keke Coutee, Braxton Miller

WR: Will Fuller, Bruce Ellington

LT: Julie’n Davenport, Kendall Lamm

LG: Zach Fulton, Kyle Fuller

C: Nick Martin, Greg Mancz

RG: Senio Kelemete

RT: Seantrel Henderson, Martinas Rankin

LS: Jon Weeks

K: Ka’imi Fairbairn

P: Shane Lechler