The Houston Texans "are pretty close" to knowing what their initial 53-man roster might look like, according to General Manager Nick Caserio. On Tuesday’s Texans All Access podcast, Caserio said he and Head Coach DeMeco Ryans started to see the roster crystallize following their first preseason game at New England.
"Yeah, we're pretty close," Caserio said. "We talk about as a staff, DeMeco and I. As a matter of fact, talked about it this morning. We've kind of talked about it on a regular basis each week. The reality is you're probably 75, 80% there after week one, candidly. There are going to be some things that crop up. Injuries may force you to make a decision somewhere else. So really it's just about managing numbers, managing the roster a little bit, and you're prepared for whatever we have to do next week."
In previous years, teams made initial cuts from 90 to 53 following each preseason game. This year, the NFL modified its roster cutdown rules with just one date, August 29, for teams to get to 53 players. With just one week remaining, the Texans can make their cuts gradually or wait until the deadline to cut 37 players at once. In addition to the 53-man roster, the Texans can also sign up to 16 players to the practice squad.
"I mean, you're moving on from players, but you're really not moving on from players because some of the discussion is, Hey look, we can't carry you on the roster. We want to continue to work with you in a practice squad, come back tomorrow at noon, and if you're not claimed, then as if nothing changed," Caserio said. "So there's that period of uncertainty for a player. Well, do they want me here? Where am I going to be? But the reality is we're going to want to work with more than 53 players that are on the actual roster."
The Texans will close out their preseason on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Kickoff from the Caesars Superdome is scheduled for 7 p.m.
