One thing I remember, the temperature definitely hasn't changed from 2006, still hot, tough practices in Houston. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans
The Houston Texans kicked off 2023 training camp on Wednesday at the Houston Methodist Practice Center. Practice was closed to the public, but it was still an eventful day of news for the Texans in their first season under Head Coach DeMeco Ryans. General Manager Nick Caserio also answered questions from the media before practice.
Check out the hottest headlines from Day 1 of training camp:
1. John Metchie III is full-go in camp
The Texans began training camp with some great news: WR John Metchie III had been cleared to participate.
"John is ready to go," Caserio said. "I know he had a little bit of a setback there in the spring. He's cleared. He's ready to practice. So kind of take him one day at a time. I'm sure he's anxious, anxious and excited, to be back out on the field."
The Texans 2022 second-round draft pick received his leukemia diagnosis just days before training camp last year. After spending his rookie season on the Reserve/Non-football Illness list, Metchie expected to return during OTAs but suffered a minor injury that kept him off the field.
2. Tytus Howard is staying in Houston
Tytus Howard's contract news began making the rounds on Twitter early in the day. Howard, who has played both guard and tackle in his four seasons in Houston, has been a stalwart of the Texans offensive line along with Laremy Tunsil. While Caserio did not comment on the contract, especially since it had not been officially processed as a transaction, he did praise Howard's commitment to the Texans.
"I think this morning some of the reports came out regarding Tytus. Just say, not necessarily going to comment about the contract and everything that went into. I would just say Tytus has been a good player for the last number of years. He's a good kid. He works his ass off. He's tough, he's competitive. Those discussions, some come together, some take a little bit more time than others. But it was good working with his team and his representation trying to get to an end point."
3. DeMeco's meeting with the rookies
As a former NFL All-Pro linebacker, Ryans knows a thing or two about the grind. The head coach revealed a session he held with just the rookies to impart some of that knowledge and allow them to get to know him better.
"I had a great opportunity over the summer to have a one on one with our entire rookie group," Ryans said. "Spent an hour and a half to two hours with our rookies, allowing them to ask questions. I was able to answer any thoughts or questions, concerns they had. It was a very special moment, one I'll never forget, to have that intimate conversation with those guys so I could share my experiences as a player."
4. Jalen Pitre, Derek Stingley Jr.'s offseason work
Second-year defensive backs Jalen Pitre and Derek Stingley Jr. worked together to improve their game this offseason.
Pitre attended Derek Stingley Sr.'s football camp in Honolulu, along with LB Christian Harris and CB Cobi Francis.
"A lot of change of direction, a lot of ball drills," Pitre said. "A lot of footwork on the line. I don't play corner, but we were doing a lot of man work, whether that was off man or even press man. Just getting to work and see different releases and stuff like that."
When they aren't perfecting their craft, Pitre and Stingley are working on their game. Their Madden game.
"We play Madden a lot together," Pitre said. "I can obviously see it on there. He knows the route concepts, every route concept there is. He knows the coverage. He knows football. It's always good to play with a guy that understands football from a holistic standpoint."
The Texans will be back on the practice field for Day 2 of camp on Thursday at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
