Here are some observations from the Texans workday on Thursday.
Offense Struggles for the First Time of Camp
The Texans offense, to this point, has been moving the ball at ease and looking like a well-oiled machine. Led by Deshaun Watson, the offensive firepower the offense boasts when healthy is an impressive group. With DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, Keke Coutee, Lamar Miller, Jordan Thomas, and Jordan Akins, the skill group continues to grow with talent. Today, it was anything but that for the offense which was missing more, especially in the passing game.
During the team session of practice, Watson threw two well-placed passes to both Akins and Fuller, which ended up dropped. Then Watson missed Coutee on a quick look that appeared to be a miscommunication where Coutee was not even looking for the football.
Add in some pass protection issues from the right side of the offensive line that gave up sacks to J.J. Watt and Charles Omehinu. It was just not a crisp or minimal mistake day for the offense.
With the disappointing day, it will be something that will be worked on by the coaching staff to correct heading into Saturday's practice.
Charles Omenihu Continues to Flash
It is hard for rookies to consistently make waves at training camp mainly due to the expectations first-year players deal with day-to-day. Rookie defensive end Charles Omenihu is a bright spot of the draft class, and he continues to stack positive days on the field.
Omenihu, since pads were put on, has made plays in the backfield, knocked down passes, worked in tandem during pass rushes and even produced would be quarterback sacks. More impressive is that Omenihu is showing he can do the dirty work in the trenches
With the Texans looking for more pass rush on the interior of the defense, Omenihu is putting together strong film that the coaching staff can not ignore.
Seantrel Henderson's Ups and Downs
The Texans have veteran right tackle Seantrel Henderson inserted as the potential starter heading into the season. Henderson has displayed struggles on the field both mentally and physically, which should cause some slight concern.
Today saw Henderson get beat by J.J. Watt off the edge that would have resulted in a sack of Watson. Then the very next play saw him and Zach Fulton miscommunicate and whiff on Omenihu who came on a twist that would have also resulted in a sack.
Add in previous days of work, Henderson has had sloppy work over the past three practices.
Tytus Howard and Max Scharping Better Than Expected?
Today marked the first missed practice for Tytus Howard due to an undisclosed leg issue, but there appears to be little reason for concern. As for Scharping, the young offensive lineman continues to hold up when asked to play either guard position. With Howard out, the Texans looked at Scharping on the left side of the offensive line.
The long-term plan remains to have Howard and Scharping develop into their bookend offensive tackles, but there early work in training camp should not be overlooked.
Howard and Scharping have held up against NFL level talent when tested. The most significant factor that should not be ignored is how much athleticism they have brought to the position group. They have cut down on pressure leaking through the interior that would collapse the pocket from the middle.
The two will see early time in their NFL careers as offensive guards to cut their teeth at the NFL level. The additions of Howard and Scharping have been positives for the now and future of the offensive line.
Quick Hitters
- S A.J. Moore notched his second interception during training camp. He had a diving interception for Deshaun Watson who was targeting Keke Coutee. Moore benefited from blanket coverage on Coutee from Aaron Colvin which forced the poor throw
- Rookie S Austin Exford also had an interception of QB A.J. McCarron. McCarron threw an errant pass intended for WR Tyron Johnson too high which was picked by the streak Exford who was lurking in the middle of the field.
- The work that OL Zach Fulton has done to this point in training camp should not be overlooked. With C Nick Martin still out and OL Tytus Howard sitting out of practice today, Fulton continues to bounce around and play all three interior spots on the offensive line. Asked to snap and play both guard positions, Fulton is expanding his role. He has put together some solid practices in the past few days.
- S Jahleel Addae is a mixed bag for the Texans to this point. He shows he can play in the box, tackle and today produce a would-be sack on a blitz. Where Addae struggles is in coverage where he doesn't have the quickness to make up space.
- RB Damerea Crockett had a nice touchdown run working in tandem with QB Joe Webb III in the read-option look. Webb had the right read gave it to Crockett, and he was off to the races for a run untouched to the endzone.
- RB Karan Higdon Jr. continues to get traction after a slow start at camp. He caught a pass from QB A.J. McCarron near the goal line bounced off a defender and a second effort dive into the endzone was a good look from the rookie.
- DL Angelo Blackson continues to show his versatility to hold up in pass rush and run defense. Blackson would have had a sack during team session after beating his man one-on-one.
- TE Darren Fells has worked hard to correct his hands after a rough day of drops last weekend during practice. Since that point, Fells can be seen working on his hands with drills with tight end coach Will Lawing. It is paying off on the field and becoming a target Watson can rely on.