PITTSBURGH—The Houston Texans will begin their 2024 NFL preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it will be the first opportunity to see some of the offensive starters in action.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans alluded to the possibility of two series, which is a lot considering that the Texans have been practicing longer than any other NFL team and still have just under a month before the start of the regular season.
Friday night will allow players like Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie III to get reps since Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell will have their pads and helmets ready to ship back to Houston by the first quarter.
Hutchinson had an excellent outing in the Hall of Fame Game against the Chicago Bears. He was the leading receiver for the Texans, with five receptions for 56 yards. If he has a repeat performance, he will put himself in a position for more playing time, which is hard to come by in such a competitive receiver room.
 |
| Texans Wide Receiver John Metchie III |
Unfortunately, Metchie did not have the same success that Hutchinson had last week. He was only targeted two times in the game, which was suspended in the third quarter due to inclement weather. He had a rough two days of training camp this past week, with him and backup quarterback Davis Mills failing to be on the same page during team drills, which led to some dropped passes. Hopefully, he can redeem himself with the extended playing time against the Steelers.
Texans offensive line coach Chris Strausser will have his eyes glued to his position group. Starting tackles Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard will not be available, and center Juice Scruggs and guards Shaq Mason and Kenyon Green will play limited snaps.
Rookie Blake Fisher started last week in place of Tunsil and will do the same this week.
“He is out there competing just like the rest of the crew,” said offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik about Fisher. “I think we say it endlessly, but I think we really preach that to the whole group, tirelessly. That is what this is about. It is about going out and everyday growing and getting better than you were the day before.”
 |
| Texans Rookie Blake Fisher |
Second-year center Jarrett Patterson has proven he can play the center position with seven starts under his belt during his rookie season before being placed on injured reserve.
Strausser will pay close attention to Nick Broeker, Cameron Erving, and David Sharpe’s play, as Houston desperately needs good backup offensive linemen.