HOUSTON – Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud experienced a minor scare Saturday morning when he got his foot stepped on accidentally by defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi.
Although Stroud limped slightly for a few plays after the 6-foot-4, 318-pound lineman stepped on him, he never left the field and eventually regained his full mobility as he executed a play-action fake with normal movement.
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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans emphasized that Stroud is absolutely fine. Named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and to the Pro Bowl last season, Stroud led the NFL in passing yards per contest and touchdown-to-interception ratio.
“No concern on C.J. at all,” Ryans said. “He is doing great. Having a great camp. No concern with C.J. at all. He is doing great.”
NOTES: Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who has been dominant in drills, got his first day off of practice. ... The following players didn’t practice: running back Joe Mixon (soft-tissue injury), linebacker Christian Harris (soft-tissue injury), cornerback C.J. Henderson (ankle), left tackle Laremy Tunsil (offseason arthroscopic knee surgery), tight end Dalton Keene (undisclosed) and fullback Andrew Beck (calf strain, active-physically unable to perform list. ... The Texans practiced through a steady downpour for the second day in a row. This time, the Texans had a much smoother practice with less mistakes. “When it comes to practicing in the rain, I think it’s just about mental toughness,” Ryans said. “Blocking out all the external factors and can you really lock in on the details, the fundamentals of your job and still go out and perform at a high-level. I thought it was much better today and I’m actually happy we had the rain in back-to-back days to see how guys responded a little bit better today. Much better ball security and much cleaner practice today.” ... Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs beat cornerback Kris Boyd for a one-handed sideline catch and drew the yellow flag on the defense for pass interference, celebrating afterward with wide receiver Tank Dell. Diggs beat Lassiter for a touchdown catch. ... Dell got behind safety-nickel Jalen Pitre for a long touchdown catch. ... Pro Bowl alternate corner Derek Stingley Jr. intercepted Stroud on a pass intended for Dell. “Derek has been consistent,” Ryans said. “When we talk about Iron sharpening Iron, with him competing against Tank, Nico [Collins], Diggs, they continue to get better and that’s what I love about him. He is making the receivers better and the receivers are making him better. That’s what camp is all about and Derek is doing a really good job this camp.” Overall, the Texans’ receiving corps has lived up to its advance billing. ...“From our wide receiver group, I just love the competitive spirit of all those guys,” Ryans said. “Seeing guys step up, different guys making plays each day. It starts with Stef and the way he comes to work. I think that rubs off on everyone else. He shows up with the competitive enthusiasm that starts to permeate for first off his position group, but also just our entire team. With guys showing up like that, I love the competition and it’s a really good group and I’m excited to see how guys show up in games. They’ve been doing a great job at practice.” ... The defense has been winning the past few days, led by experienced linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and safety Jimmie Ward. “What I love about our defense is from these past two days is they set the tone,” Ryans said. “That’s what we want to be as a defense, we want to be tone-setters. With guys I’ve worked with in the past like Azeez and Jimmie, I know the type of tenacity that they bring to the field. They love playing football. They love playing it in a physical manor. We can’t lose sight of how physical football has to be played and that’ll be our style. That’s our MO. We want to play physical, we want to fly around to the football and no two guys exhibit that the most than Jimmie and Azeez.” ... Ryans likes what he’s seen from wide receiver and special-teams contributor Ben Skowronek, who was acquired in an offseason trade form the Los Angeles Rams. Skowronek is a versatile contributor who can even play fullback in a pinch. “Skowronek does a great job when it comes to special teams, does a great job of communicating,” Ryans said. “Offense, being able to play multiple spots. Tough guy, Likes to get in there and get his nose bloody blocking a little bit. I like the physicality of Skowronek, and I like how smart he is, and I like how he really, really does a great job of communicating.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
