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| The Houston Texans return to the practice field on Monday in Ohio |
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio— After having their Hall of Fame Game against the Chicago Bears on Thursday suspended due to inclement weather, the Houston Texans returned to the practice field at the University School in Chagrin Falls. The high school has sentimental value to Texans general manager Nick Caserio, as he was a member of the football team.
Following this past weekend’s Hall of Fame festivities, including former wide receiver Andre Johnson’s enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, the players were eager to return to training camp, which showed as the day progressed.
Player Shortage
As practice began, Houston was without some key members, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, along with rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter, did not participate on Monday. Wide receiver Noah Brown was unavailable for the offense, along with tight end Teagan Quitoriano, who left Thursday’s game against the Bears with a lower leg injury after scoring the team’s first touchdown.
The status of running back Joe Mixon, left tackle Laremy Tunsil, and linebacker Christian Harris remains uncertain.
Stroud Shines
It could have been being back in Ohio that made quarterback C.J. Stroud look as if he was back taking snaps at Ohio State, or maybe it was the relief he received from not being stalked in the backfield by Anderson and Hunter. Either way, Stroud looked comfortable in the pocket, connecting on passes to some of his favorite targets, such as Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell.
Stroud even found veteran wide receiver Robert Woods on a crossing route during 11-on-11 drills for a touchdown. His only mistake on the day was caused by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who nearly intercepted a pass. Two plays later, Al-Shaair completed the task of forcing a turnover with an interception off of Stroud.
Pre-Snap Adjustments
Head coach DeMeco Ryans was loud and boisterous during the team drills, but not in a good way. With both sides of the ball continuously being penalized for being offsides, Ryans ensured his team knew that pre-snap penalties would have to be cleaned up quickly for the remainder of training camp and the preseason.
“Lock in on every play,” Ryans told both units after a series of penalties. “Too many pre-snap calls. Let’s focus.”
The absences of starters may have been the reason for the calls, but Ryans is a person who values a backup just as much as a starter, so he will not allow that to be an excuse.
Competitive Spirit
The temperature wasn’t the only thing that was hot at training camp on Monday. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs and safety/nickel cornerback Jalen Pitre had a trash-talking session that spilled into two drills. The back-and-forth went on until linebacker Azzez Al-Shaair stepped in to calm Pitre down as he continued talking to Diggs on the sidelines.
“I know our guys are so competitive, but it’s also respectful,” said Ryans about the competitive battle between Pitre and Diggs. “With Pitre and Diggs, It’s all respect. Guys are really sharpening each other. Guys are really competing and giving their ultimately best and now Diggs is making Pitre better and Pitre is making Diggs better, and Azeez is there to calm everyone down. It’s really fun to see.”
Houston will hold practice on Tuesday at the University School as they prepare for its first preseason game on Friday against the Pittsburg Steelers. Coach Ryans also confirmed after practice that the starters will play.