Toonstruck 1 » Houston Texans Rosterology:

August 13 Youth Lamar Miller Jersey , 2018 After a two week hiatus and one preseason game, there have been some big changes to Texans’ Rosterology. In a Thursday night preseason football game, the Texans controlled the Chiefs for a 17-10 win. It was great to see Deshaun Watson on the field in his return from a season-ending ACL injury last November. I wish we could have seen Whitney Mercilus, D.J. Reader, J.J. Watt, Tyrann Mathieu, among others, play for at least a series, but I’m glad health is a primary concern. As a result, players vying for a roster spot get an additional series or two in preseason game. A couple notes before we jump on in. First, Corey Moore’s play, along with the lack of any competing safeties, puts him close to a lock for a roster spot in my view. He was a surveyor of the field on Thursday night, and his knowledge of the defense make him a vital part of the unit moving forward. I’m also starting to wonder if Jay Prosch will be a part of this offense. Having him on the roster for short yard situations is understandable, but how often will he be used? I also thought Treston Decoud was in a relatively safe position, but seeing him as a third string safety with not much special teams prowess, I no longer think he is a part of the ‘First Four Out’; he is probably part of a ‘Next Four Out’ group that isn’t published.With that said, here we go.Safe, But In Position BattlesBraxton MillerCongrats, Braxton.You have begun to prove many doubters wrong. Although his skill set is starting to mirror Bruce Ellington’s in terms of route tree and play making, Miller looks faster and is better at running routes than he ever has during his three year career. He’s finally healthy and had his first consistent performance in a football game. Yes, it was preseason, but the team showed more confidence putting him as the split end receiver. He needs to stay healthy and keep getting open over the middle; if he does those two things, Miller will join Corey Moore and not be featured in this article in the weeks to come, as his spot should be locked up. Joe Webb IIIAfter a game like that, how can you not want that type of athleticism on your roster?An unbelievable play by the third string QB puts him in a safe position heading into the second preseason game. Being able to participate on special teams as well as mimicking Deshaun Watson’s offensive play style makes Webb a true dual threat quarterback. More spectacular plays would definitely be welcome in the preseason. Kyle FullerI spent a ton of time watching the offensive line block this past game. On my notepad, I had Fuller’s name written three times for good pass protection. The Texans played the second-year offensive lineman at center during the game, but he’s just as capable at guard. What’s that word the Texans like to use? Versatility? Oh, yeah...Fuller fits the bill. May the development continue.Peter KalambayiHis job is to replace Brennan Scarlett. Brennan had a better game and held the edge better than the rookie sixth round draft pick did. I thought Kalambayi played fine http://www.texansauthorizedshops.com/authentic-nick-martin-jersey , but he may need more time to develop on the practice squad. I still have him on the team, but it’s necessary to highlight him as a roster casualty. Last Four InAlfred BlueThe Texans have an affinity for Alfred that I do not see. He had eight carriers for 14 yards against Kansas City. His missed catch in the flat to avoid getting creamed by a defender was lackluster at best. It’s only one preseason game, but after watching Troymaine Pope bust through the defense on multiple plays, Blue is quickly becoming an afterthought in the Texans’ backfield. When D’Onta Foreman comes back, Blue will slide back in the depth chart immediately. Troymaine PopeFrom not being on this list at all to skyrocketing up the Rosterology board, Pope was the biggest surprise on Thursday night. Speed, patience, and versatility were Pope’s biggest assets, and they were on display this past week. Indeed, he has passed Tyler Ervin on the depth chart and is in a intriguing spot with D’Onta Foreman potentially starting the regular season on the PUP list. More to come on Pope.David QuessenberryI never thought Quessenberry would be this developed as an interior offensive lineman. The greatest story on the Texans’ roster, a cancer survivor, an inspiration to us all, played with tenacity and balance in the 35 plays he was on the field for. If you watch the video in Joe Webb’s analysis, Quessenberry’s (#77) block on the defensive tackle springs Webb and gives him a lane to run. The trio of Kyle Fuller, Chad Slade, and Quessenberry are campaigning to be backup interior linemen on the 53-man roster. Before the preseason game, I would’ve had said Chad Slade is a better option, but Quessenberry was a better run blocker and finished plays with more aggression than Slade. Sammie CoatesCoates is going to bounce in and out of the 53-man roster throughout the entire preseason. He was another player who surprised me against the Chiefs with several impressive catches and drew pass interference penalties. I like him more on the outside than inside, whichis good because there will be less competition for that role. I still want to see Coates burn a cornerback on a deep route. He put up good film to work off, but now it’s a matter of stacking week after week. First Four OutKurtis DrummondA vanilla performance with no big plays or mistakes, Drummond is still teetering on the Rosterology board. This week, the seesaw leans out for the Michigan State product. Currently the fifth safety on the roster, Drummond is relying on either an injury, special teams success, or purely better performance to get back in the lineup. Not to worry, Drummond.At least you didn’t get upstaged like the next guy.Tyler ErvinHe recorded 12 yards on just two carries, which isn’t bad, but Troymaine Pope sprinted on the field and outperformed Tyler at his own game. Ervin had a couple of opportunities on special teams, but he’ll need to make a splash against the 49ers if he wants to stop his fall. Ervin was one of the biggest disappointments this week in terms of Rosterology and Houston’s depth chart. Dee VirginI don’t think Virgin had his best game against the Chiefs. He was slow in his trailing technique Ryan Griffin Jersey , and had a tough time on both comeback and curl routes. He will need to battle for the last cornerback position, but there were still a lot of positives in Virgin’s game. A good tackler, he had the second most tackles in the preseason opener, and can play outside corner, which is a position of need. He definitely was getting targeted by Chad Henne and gave up a couple of easy catches, but he’s still in the running for the last corner spot.Stephen AndersonConfidence is waning for the third year tight end. On the Texans’ published depth chart, Anderson is the fifth tight end. Teams usually only keep three, so being the fifth isn’t a comfy seat. His performance on Thursday didn’t reflect roster-worthy play. He dropped an easy pass late in the game and wasn’t productive with the quantity of plays (17) he was given. If another preseason game goes by and Anderson is not further up the depth chart and playing like a starting TE, he may drop off this list entirely.Biggest RiserTroymaine PopePope, along with Jordan Akins, shined on offense.Pope is quickly becoming a hot topic for Texans’ fans. His biggest competition is Tyler Ervin; they both are shifty running backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield. Pope ran several effective screen plays and had the longest reception last week that went for 34 yards. He still has work to do in a tight race for running back.Biggest FallerTreston DecoudHe’s falling behind in the competition for the last remaining spot in the secondary. If Decoud does not make the roster, I think Houston would put him on practice squad to let him continue to train. Since he’s making the switch to safety, it will take some time for him to adapt to a new position. Player to WatchKeenan GilchristGilchrist is listed as the fourth weakside inside linebacker, but he recorded the most tackles in the game on Thursday night. Nine tackles, eight of which were solo tackles, and one tackle for loss is an impressive day with minimal reps. This is his first season out of Appalachian State, so he’s purely a try-out player with some upside. There is a small chance he makes this roster with so many players ahead of him, but if Gilchrist keeps racking up tackles in preseason games, the Texans cannot ignore his playmaking ability.LDE: J.J. Watt, Carlos WatkinsNT: D.J Reader, Brandon DunnRDE: Christian Covington, Joel HeathLOLB: Whitney Mercilus, Brennan Scarlett, Peter KalambayiILB: Benardrick McKinney, Brian PetersILB: Zach Cunningham, Dylan ColeROLB: Jadeveon Clowney, Duke EjioforCB: Aaron Colvin, Kevin JohnsonCB: Jonathan Joseph, Johnson BademosiFS: Justin Reid Authentic Julien Davenport Jersey , Kareem Jackson, SS: Tyrann Mathieu, Corey MooreQB: Deshaun Watson, Brandon Weeden, Joe Webb IIIFB: Jay ProschRB: Lamar Miller, D’Onta Foreman, Alfred Blue, Troymaine PopeTE: Ryan Griffin, Jordan Akins, Jordan ThomasWR: DeAndre Hopkins, Keke Coutee, Braxton Miller WR: Will Fuller, Bruce Ellington, Sammie CoatesLT: Julie’n Davenport, Kendall LammLG: Zach Fulton, Kyle FullerC: Nick Martin, Greg ManczRG: Senio Kelemete, David QuessenberryRT: Seantrel Henderson, Martinas RankinLS: Jon WeeksK: Ka’imi FairbairnP: Shane Lechler The Houston Texans were trailing late and facing a second straight loss after a nine-game winning streak.Deshaun Watson wasn't having it.The cool-headed, playmaking quarterback threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins with 2:15 left, lifting the Texans to a 29-22 victory over Sam Darnold and the New York Jets on Saturday night."It doesn't surprise me that he's able to stay controlled in those situations," Hopkins said about Watson. "He's done that before in big games in his career. On the sideline, everyone was composed. Nobody panicked."And no one was more in control than Watson."The game is never over for me," he said. "The plays are never over sometimes. I just go out there with the ball in my hands, put the load on my shoulders and lead the team to victory. I've been doing that my whole life and I have to continue to do that at this level."Every game comes down to a final drive. You've got to be able to block out all the noise, lock in and try to lead the team to victory."After Darnold and the Jets took their first lead of the game on Elijah McGuire's 2-yard touchdown run, the Texans (10-4) answered right back.A holding call on cornerback Morris Claiborne on third down prolonged the drive, and Watson completed passes of 20 and 3 yards to Demaryius Thomas and 7 yards to Hopkins to get to New York's 14. Watson then found Hopkins streaking down the left sideline and launched a pass that the receiver somehow came down with despite being tightly covered by Claiborne."I wouldn't want any other quarterback in this entire universe other than him," Hopkins said. "The things he can do Youth Bruce Ellington Jersey , staying in the pocket after taking hits and deliver balls on the money 鈥?not a lot of quarterbacks can do that."Hopkins rolled an ankle on the play, and Watson and Alfred Blue helped him to the sideline as the Texans celebrated. The receiver was OK, though, and finished with 10 catches for 170 yards and two TDs.Watson finished 22 of 28 for 294 yards and the two scores to Hopkins.Ka'imi Fairbairn's 40-yard field goal 鈥?his fifth kick of the game 鈥?made it 29-22 with 54 seconds left. Darnold and the Jets (4-10) had one more opportunity to try to tie 鈥攐r win鈥?but Houston held on."To go out there against a good Texans team, it would've been awesome to be able to get that win," Darnold said, "but we just came up short."The loss ruined what was a terrific night for Darnold, who made plays with his arm and legs all game. The No. 3 overall pick was 24 of 38 for 253 yards and touchdown passes to Robby Anderson and Andre Roberts. He set up an impressive 15-play, 73-yard go-ahead drive late during which he converted three third-down plays and a fourth-down opportunity.On third-and-10 from the 19, Darnold took off for 14 yards 鈥?and a holding call on Aaron Colvin put the ball on the 2. After Darnold was stopped for no gain on a quarterback draw, he handed the ball to McGuire who pushed up the middle 鈥?surrounded by a surging mass of blockers who helped shove him all the way into the end zone for the score.It set off a wild celebration by the Jets. But Watson and the Texans still had their own comeback in store."Thank God he's our quarterback," coach Bill O'Brien said.UP-AND-DOWNWith New York trailing 16-3, Darnold gave the Jets some life just before halftime with a terrific drive during which he made plays with his legs 鈥?a 10-yard run on third-and-3 鈥?and arm 鈥?passes of 16 yards to Chris Herndon and 26 to Anderson. On first-and-goal from the 5, Darnold scrambled a bit before stepping up in the pocket and zipping a pass to Anderson for a touchdown to make it a 16-9 game.But, Jason Myers then missed his second extra point of the season 鈥?and 14th of his career.Darnold picked up where he left off in the first half, leading the Jets on another touchdown drive, capping another impressive possession with a 13-yard toss to Andre Roberts. Darnold kept the drive alive on third-and-10 from the Jets 40 with a laser-like throw to Anderson for 20 yards.Myers followed by missing his second straight extra point as Houston remained ahead 16-15."The first one, I just pushed a little bit," Myers said. "The second one, I thought I hit it good, but just kind of fell left on me."INJURIESTexans: RB Lamar Miller left with an ankle injury in the second quarter and didn't return, but O'Brien didn't think "it's major." Miller was initially hurt early in the first quarter when he went down after a 1-yard run. He returned on Houston's next possession, but left again early in the second quarter. He had 8 yards on three carries. ... NT Brandon Dunn left with an ankle injury and didn't return.Jets: RT Brandon Shell was carted off the field early in the third quarter with a knee injury. He was blocking during a passing play when left guard Spencer Long rolled into his left leg. Coach Todd Bowles said Shell would have an MRI on Sunday. ... WR Rishard Matthews left with a hamstring injury.GETTING TO THE QBHenry Anderson had three of the Jets' six sacks of Watson. It marked the first time New York had six or more since it had seven against Buffalo on Nov. 2, 2017.UP NEXTTexans: at Philadelphia on Dec. 23.Jets: home vs. Green Bay on Dec. 23.