The Houston Texans have wrapped up their preseason with an impressive 3-1. They won their fourth and final game in the preseason against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams played the Texans tough, with both teams sitting a majority of their primary players. The Texans' backups were able to beat the Rams' backups to the tune of 17-15, behind an impressive outing from Tim Boyle.
Boyle replaced Case Keenum and threw two touchdowns to help the Texans get a win in their final exhibition game of the season. The regular season is now two weeks away, and decisions must be made. The Houston Texans have until Aug. 27, 2024, to decide who makes their opening day roster and the decesions will not be easy.
Too many guys looked good who shouldn't have. Guys who it would have been easy to cut and move on from looked like real players. All the while, guys with big contracts and high draft positions looked awful. It's just downright cuttable. Yet, the odds the better-performing players, who have easier-to-cut contracts or weren't high draft picks, beat out those lofty names is slim to none.
Still, we have five names that we believe have earned a spot on the 53-man roster, especially over some of the incumbants on the team. That's why we will go through the five names on the team who deserve a spot and tell you who they deserve it over.
QB Tim Boyle
No one should get the idea wrong. We're not advocating that Tim Boyle replace C.J. Stroud in the lineup. We're not even advocating for Boyle to replace Davis Mills as the team's backup (and yes, Mills should be the team's number two). No, we think Boyle should be the team's third quarterback, bumping Case Keenum to the unemployment line.
Boyle didn't always look great, but he did against the Los Angeles Rams. The same squad that Keenum looked lost against. Keenum went just 4-8 before being pulled for Boyle. If this was just the one game, then no, Boyle wouldn't be making the team, but Keenum hasn't looked good all preseason.
Boyle and Keenum completed about the same amount of passes, the same amount of touchdowns, and had roughly the same amount of yards per reception. That said, there are three reasons why Boyle makes the team over Keenum in my opinion.
- Boyle is younger.
- Boyle is less expensive.
- Boyle is more mobile.
They're roughly the same talent level of quarterbacks but Boyle seems to be on the upswing while Keenum is close to retirement. If the Texans keep three quarterbacks, it should be Stroud, Mills, and Boyle.
RB Cam Akers
When Cam Akers was signed, I didn't think he'd make the team. Now, not only should Akers make the team, but he should be the reason that Dameon Pierce doesn't. Akers has been everything that Pierce was advertised to be. The former Los Angeles Rams player has hit the line of scrimmage hard, and shown versatility by being an asset in the passing game, and by being a better blocker than Pierce.
Akers has the tools to succeed and the hope is that he's called on to be the number two back behind Joe Mixon. Now, it should be noted that Akers wasn't the only strong running back in contention for a spot that he may not have been in line to get beforehand.
British Brooks looked good over the last few weeks. At just a shy under 6'0 and nearly 230 lbs, Brooks is a compact bowling ball of chaos. Yet, Akers adds more to the overall game than Brooks does. As a better blocker and potential threat out of the backfield, you can't deny that Akers gives the team a wrinkle that they don't have otherwise.
RB/RET J.J. Taylor
There isn't a specific player in mind, but J.J. Taylor has earned a spot above guys like Jawhar Jordan and Dare Ogunbowale. Taylor and Cam Akers finished second and first respectively in rushing yards. Akers got 112 yards in the preseason, while Taylor reached 85 yards.
Taylor though isn't just on the list for his potential as a third-down running back, however. Taylor had more kickoff and punt returns (4) than anyone else on the team. He also made the most of his opportunities, with a 29-yard kick return in his first and only attempt on the preseason and then fielding three punt returns. He only achieved 15 yards on those three returns but that's just how it goes sometimes.
Taylor also was the only player to hit four attempts without a fair catch. Myles Bryant had four return attempts but two of them were fair catches. You would rather fair catch the punt as opposed to getting tagged and losing the ball via a fumble, but you would also rather get any positive yards as well.
Taylor showed he's a good enough runner and a good enough return man to make the team. Any other return man lacks the complete skillset that Taylor has. He's a capable running back and has value beyond just special teams. That's hard to find.
WR Xavier Hutchinson
If guys like Robert Woods and John Metchie III get cut, it'll be due to Xavier Hutchinson. The former seventh-round pick had a very impressive preseason, going out and leading the team in receiving yards, first downs via reception, and receptions. He's had an exceptional summer and what makes him even more impressive is the fact that he's done it across the entire spectrum of quarterbacks that the Texans had.
It didn't matter who was throwing him the ball, he caught everything. While some guys may look good because of the preseason and the lower level of competition, some guys just look good. Hutchinson was one of those guys who just looked good against anyone and everyone. It's part of the reason why he's the guy to hold onto beyond so many others.
The Texans' depth at wide receiver was unexpected heading into the offseason and we're happy to see the team have such a problem to deal with.
CB Myles Bryant
Desmond King and Myles Bryant should be the other starters next to Derek Stingley Jr. but we think they're going to be pushed into dime and nickel packages respectively. All to make room for Kamari Lassiter. The Texans' second-round pick in 2024 hasn't looked good, missing a lot of time and playing less than optimally in the games he was available for.
Bryant, on the other hand, dominated when he was on the field, and even led the Texans in tackles. While Bryant started rough against the Chicago Bears during the Hall of Fame Game, the last three weeks have seen Bryant put together good, aggressive performances. Considering how important it is to have cornerbacks who can tackle, a guy like Bryant can't be easily ignored. When you look at Mike Ford, C.J. Henderson and Jeff Okudah, clearly Bryant is the better option. Not that many people were arguing against it.,
Yet with how bad Lassiter has looked in limited action, Bryant didn't just prove he was better than the fringe additions, but he proved he's the guy who should be across from Stingley.
