Battle Red Blog
It’s summer break for the Texans…or at least the players. There are no scheduled team activities until rookies report for the start of training camp in late July. Until then, the NFL calendar is pretty blank. Yet, as with the summer break for school, even as the students and teachers are off, there are still things to be done and worked on before business picks back up in late July/early August. To that end, a few considerations:
Does the team have its 3rd LB on the roster? The loss of EJ Speed, likely for the rest of the season, does Houston no favors. Speed proved an effective LB, aiding run stopping and on special teams. While the Texans will likely spend more time in a 4-2-5, especially given the strength of the secondary, Houston does not want to find itself short in the LB department. Al-Shaair and To’oTo’o will man the two primary LB spots, but with teams like Baltimore on the schedule, who can and will run the ball, shifting to a 4-3 base will be a necessity. The requirement for depth due to injuries is also a given. The team does not lack for potential bodies to try to get that LB3 spot. Yet, the team may not have its LB3 on the roster at the moment. Could the team just wait to see how camp shakes out, or do they go for a free agent. The percentages for the signing might be low, but could you imagine Fred Warner on this defense?
The move to a for-realz 12 formation: Taking the fact that mini-camps can only offer so much, one thing that observers and insiders note is that Houston will likely try to have more 12 (1 RB, 2 TEs) formations on the field. In particular, Houston’s offense will want actual TEs and not “heavy” packages where an extra tackle (Blake Fisher enters the chat) was used for blocking. However, to make a 12 formation effective, one must have the requisite TEs to make that happen. For Houston, there is Dalton Schultz, and then there is…well, a combination of players trying to come back from injury. Brevin Jordan and Cade Stover made their return to the field, catching passes and participating in drills. 2nd round pick Marlin Klein was present, but due to hamstring issues, did not participate like the other TEs. If the team is wanting a 12 base, then at least 4 effective TEs need to be on the main roster and ready to produce. In particular, much rides on Jordan and Klein, as they will have to provide as much receiving prowess as blocking. Cade Stover has been a jack-of-all-trades type TE, but he doesn’t provide the explosive potential that Houston will need if the offense wants to make that much-needed leap.
Last week, Houston did sign one TE to the roster (Louis Hansen), but that is not a signing that moves the needle much. However, it may not be a shock if the...
