As the Houston Texans enter training camp ahead of the 2024 NFL season, there are bigger storylines surrounding the team than in years past, making this summer one of the most entertaining in years for Texans’ fans.
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Here are five things to watch at the Texans’ training camp this summer:
1. High expectations
After compiling an 11-37-1 record in the three seasons spanning from 2020 to 2022, the Texans were projected to struggle heading into the 2023 campaign. However, the team punched well above its expected weight, winning the AFC South and a playoff game in 2023.
Just one year after being overlooked as a nonfactor, the squad has to adjust to being a trendy Super Bowl pick. This is made all the more difficult by a gauntlet of a schedule, which ranks as the fourth toughest across the NFL. Along with a slate against the ascending AFC South, the team has an unfavorably late bye week (Week 14) and will face playoff teams in the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champs, and Baltimore Ravens, who beat them in the playoffs last season, in a 10-day span between December 15 and December 25.
2. How much better can C.J. Stroud be?
Arguably one of the biggest stories or the 2023 season in the NFL was the rapid improvement of Texans’ rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. His 4,108 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns were enough to earn him a Pro Bowl nod and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was also just the third player in NFL history to lead the league in passing yards per game and touchdown-interception ratio in the same season, joining Tom Brady and Joe Montana.
Now, he enters his second season with entirely different expectations, and his offseason work has reflected that. He has showed maturity and leadership, organizing offseason workouts and drawing praise from his teammates. We’ll get a close look into Stroud’s preparation this summer.
3. The talented WR corps
In the 2023 season, Stroud wasn’t alone in surprising doubters. He had help from a strong receiving corps that created separation and found holes in opposing secondaries. In his third season, wide receiver Nico Collins led the way with 1,297 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, and his performance earned him a three-year, $75 million contract extension. Tank Dell, Noah Brown and tight end Dalton Schultz also had strong campaigns.
As if the current class wasn’t strong enough, the Texans went out and traded for four-time Pro Bowl wideout Stefon Diggs in the offseason, propelling their receiving unit near the top of the league’s ranks.
With Diggs, Collins and Dell as a strong top three receivers on the depth chart, the fourth spot on the depth chart is up for grabs. Brown should be a strong contender for that spot, along with Robert Woods, John Metchie III, Ben Skowronek, Xavier Hutchinson and new signee Quintez Cephus.
4. Camp competitions
The Texans have a lot of returning talent on both sides of the football, but there are still several starting spots to be earned between now and Week 1. The most noteworthy position in question is arguably left guard. 2022 first-round draft pick Kenyon Green is entering his third season, and he has impressed Head Coach DeMeco Ryans since his return from injuries. He’ll be competing against Kendrick Green and Jarrett Patterson for the spot on the interior of the offensive line.
Derek Stingley Jr. has cemented himself as Houston’s CB1, but the other spot on the outside is still a question mark. Despite being a rookie, Georgia standout Kamari Lassiter is firmly within the conversation of earning starting cornerback duties. He will be competing against several other members of the Texans’ secondary, including former top-10 draft picks Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson.
5. Joe Mixon: A new bell-cow running back
Running back Devin Singletary was solid for the Texans in 2023, but it’s no secret that the ground game was one of the weaker elements of that team. The Texans were aggressive in addressing that need in the offseason, as they traded for veteran tailback Joe Mixon. During his seven seasons in Cincinatti, Mixon rushed for over 1,000 yards four times and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021.
Mixon’s upside isn’t just limited to the ground game, as he has shown serious upside as a receiving threat throughout his career. Seeing how he meshes with Stroud in Bobby Slowik’s scheme will be one of the most interesting things to watch in training camp.
