Texans’ Laremy Tunsil, Joe Mixon return from injuries, Tytus Howard, Kamari Lassiter, Will Anderson Jr. sidelined

HOUSTON – The Texans’ offense got a significant boost Sunday as Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon returned to practice.

This marked Tunsil’s first practice since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this offseason.

Running behind Tunsil’s block, running back Dameon Pierce broke off a long run.

The Texans took their time with Tunsil, taking good care of his knee rehab so he can be healthy for the long haul of the season. And he worked extremely hard to stay in good shape during his convalescence.

Mixon strained his quadriceps early in training camp and was out the past few weeks. Mixon was moving well during practice, but was limited in his first practice back from the leg injury.

Starting linebacker Christian Harris returned to practice from a strained calf, but is getting checked out by trainers as they take precautions with him in his first workout back from the injury. Harris was originally expected to return later in the preseason.

Tight end Brevin Jordan also returned to practice. He had been out for roughly a week.

Nickel back Desmond King returned to practice from a groin injury.

Not practicing: Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (ankle), offensive guard Shaq Mason (arm in a protectivfe brace, not considered long-term), starting cornerback Kamari Lassiter (ankle), a rookie second-round draft pick from Georgia, cornerback Jeff Okudah (hip), offensive tackle Tytus Howard (minor knee injury), offensive tackle Charlie Heck (plantar fasciitis in foot), tight end Teagan Quitoriano (strained calf) and defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. (calf).

Anderson Jr., the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, is working out on the side. Lassiter’s injury is not regarded as long-term, as is Howard.

Backup quarterback Davis Mills appeared to have a day off from practice.

This night practice marked the Texans’ first workout back in Houston after ten days on the road, including the trip to Canton, Ohio, for the Hall of Fame game, practices at The University School, general manager Nick Caserio’s alma mater in the Cleveland area, and walkthroughs at John Carroll University where he was a record-setting quarterback, and the preseason road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It was a time for the team to bond away from home.

“Being on the road definitely created some synergy amongst our group and it’s really about guys should building deeper connections,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We’re hanging around the hotel and guys are playing games together, communicating, talking in the meal room and that’s what it’s about. When you go away during camp, it’s just about that team camaraderie, and I think we built that and I think we built deeper relationships on our team and we became a tighter team after being in Cleveland for a week.”

STOVER IMPRESSES

Texans rookie tight end Cade Stover caught a deep touchdown pass from Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud, his former Ohio State teammate.

At every stage of the offseason and preseason, the fourth-round draft pick and former Big Ten Conference Tight End of the Year has checked a box in terms of preparedness and efficiency. He’s been as advertised.

“Cade has probably been one of our most consistent players on the team since he’s been here,” Ryans said. “Sometimes, I was telling the guys today, I forget that he is a rookie because he’s been so consistent. He is exactly the guy we thought we were getting. Tough, gritty, hard nosed and dependable. He has been really dependable and has shown a lot really with the routes and being able to catch the football and move down field, break tackles. It’s exciting to see a young player come in and be as consistent as he’s been day in and day out.”

WHY RUNNING GAME STRUGGLED IN PITTSBURGH

The running game was stuck in neutral against the Pittsburgh Steelers, for the most part.

The Texans rushed for 80 yards on 27 carries for an average of three yards per run.

Dameon Pierce started and gained just four yards on four carries, but there was no real room to run as the Texans’ line got stonewalled at the line of scrimmage with Tunsil, Mason and Howard all not playing. The leading rushers were Jawhar Jordan with six runs for 22 yards, wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson with one run for 19 yards and Cam Akers with six runs for 17 yards and Dare Ogunbowale running for one touchdown.

“With the running game, I think, first off, we have to stay attached on our blocks,” Ryans said. “Especially on the front side we have to stay attached and we have to finish better on the front side to get the runs going. I think a lot of our runs got stalled because we had guys penetrating in the back field and guys shooting gaps. We have to respond better to movement to get our run game going.”

Akers has delivered some impressive moments in practice and games, including a spin move in the open field against the Chicago Bears and catching a touchdown pass from Case Keenum. He has made a full recovery from two torn Achilles tendons.

“From, Cam, first off, we know he’s done it,” Ryans said. “I’ve gone against Cam a lot and I’ve seen the plays that he’s been able to make, so is he surprising me? No, he’s not surprising me but it seems like he is getting back into shape and getting back into football shape, and he’s making plays that he’s made prior in his career. It’s exciting to see him and it just shows when guys maximize their opportunity and I think he’s a guy whose taken advantage of that.

“Coming into camp late, but he’s picked up on things very quickly, he’s very sharp mentally and that’s allowed him to step in and really showcase his talents of what he’s been able to do. The biggest thing with him is making guys miss. When you’re playing the running back position, you can make defenders miss and like Cam has a savvy way of doing that and that allows him to press forward and gain yards for us.”

BULLOCK TREND CONTINUES

Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock intercepted nine passes at USC and is a tall, rangy centerfielder.

Bullock proved a point when he forced a fumble in the Hall of Fame game about his ability to tackle.

In coverage, Bullock nearly intercepted a Kyle Allen pass against the Steelers as he caught the football out of bounds He covers a lot of ground and is competing with veteran Eric Murray for playing time on the first-team defense while Jalen Pitre concentrates on the nickel spot.

“Calen is another guy – similar to Cade, similar to Kamari, these guys have come in and they’ve been laser focused,” Ryans said. “Calen when you watch his tape at USC, he’s a guy who attacked the football. Ball was in the air, he was going to get it. Same as what you see out here every day in practice. Like he’s making a play on the football. He made a play today getting the ball out there on one of the receivers and he made a play in the game this past Friday.

“It didn’t count, but I think everyone can appreciate the play when your free safety is able to have the elite range that he has and is able to make a play on the sideline. It’s impressive to watch for Calen and he’ll continue to get better and that’s the exciting thing about Calen like, man, he is still a young player and has a lot of room to grow, but what he’s shown us already and the consistency at which he’s done it. I’m very excited to see him continue to flourish in our defense.”

IN HIS MOLD

As the architect of top-ranked defenses with the San Francisco 49ers, Ryans knows what he wants and expects from the Texans’ overhauled defense: toughness, discipline and an aggressive style.

“When we play defense, we want people to put on our tape and see that we’re bringing it,” Ryans said. “We’re going to be a physical unit. We’re physical in practice and we’re physical in the game. We don’t change up our identity. Whenever we step on the field, we’re going to be a physical unit and that’s what you have to be if you expect to play defense here in Houston.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.