The Houston Texans were back at work, sans the pads, on Monday following Saturday's evening practice in front of fans and a day off on Sunday. The Texans have begun game preparation for their Thursday night preseason opener against the New England Patriots.
Here are the hottest headlines from Day 10 of training camp:
1. Tytus Howard "out for a while"
Tytus Howard left practice early on Saturday and did not return. On Monday, the Texans starting right tackle was still noticeably missing from practice.
"Tytus, he's still dealing with that [hand injury] and will probably be out for a while," Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said. "We'll re-address that later."
In Howard's place, the offensive line rotation included second-year OL Austin Deculus, rookie Killian Zierer and rookie G/T Tyler Beach at right tackle.
2. C.J. Stroud continues to get first-team reps
For the third straight practice, rookie C.J. Stroud received first-team reps and did not split time with third-year QB Davis Mills. The offense did plenty of redzone and situational work in 11-on-11 drills.
Veteran Case Keenum says he has been impressed with Stroud's unwavering focus to improve amidst the pressure of being drafted second overall.
"One thing is that I've been really impressed with his confidence and I say that with training camp practice in mind here the last couple of weeks," Keenum said. "It hadn't been perfect from any of us. We all want plays back, decisions back, reps back but some of his best plays came after a mistake."
3. DT Sheldon Rankins to play next to Maliek Collins
Coach Ryans said he had been chasing Sheldon Rankins for a few years, trying to get the 6-2, 305 defensive tackle to play for him. This offseason, Ryans succeeded. Rankins, who played five seasons with the Saints and two with the New York Jets, signed with the Texans in free agency. Now, he's expected to line up next to DT Maliek Collins on the defensive line.
"Explosive, leader, brings great energy to that group," Ryans said. "Sheldon has been in this system for a while, so he does a really good job of leading and teaching our younger guys, teaching them the nuances of the technique and how it works for him. So, he's been an excellent acquisition for us, and I'm very pleased with adding him to our team. He's going to be a big time help for us."
4. NFL Network pays a visit to camp
NFL Network was reporting live from the Houston Methodist Training Center on Monday morning. Tom Pelissero and Jane Slater caught up with Ryans and chatted about his role as head coach and what he expect from the 2023 Texans.
The Texans will hold one more training camp practice on Tuesday ahead of Thursday's preseason game against the Patriots. Kickoff from Gillette Stadium is set for 6 p.m. CT on ABC-13 and Sports Radio 610.
