The Texans face the Bears in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night in Canton, Ohio. The matchup kicks off the NFL's preseason slate of games, and these two teams will face each other again in Week 2 of the regular season at NRG Stadium. This is the first time the Texans have played in Canton since 2002. Here are five things to watch when they kick off at 7 p.m. CT in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
1) Who's in and who's out - Predicting who plays in the preseason – and how much playing time they'll get – is a fool's errand. Houston and Chicago will suit up for four preseason games, while the other 30 NFL teams only play in three preseason contests. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans was asked about a handful of players and whether or not they'll be out there on Thursday night, and he wouldn't tip his hand. He did, however, emphasize how beneficial Thursday night will be.
"With this first preseason game being an extra game for us, we're really looking to see most of our young guys get out and compete, and see if they can take the things we've been teaching them daily from the field and take it and show up when the lights are on," Ryans said. "That's main thing you'll see in this first Hall of Game Game. You'll see a lot of young guys, who are vying for a spot to make it in the NFL. It will be great to see those guys go out and compete."
At quarterback, expect to see a healthy dose of Davis Mills and Tim Boyle slinging the rock. Mills has plenty of experience and said Tuesday he'll "be ready if my number is called." It's his fourth year as a pro, and he's started 26 NFL games.
"Been putting in a lot of really good work with our players throughout training camp so far and OTAs and when I get my chance to go out there and perform, I'm ready and showcase all the guys around me," Mills said. "It's going to be fun."
Boyle, meanwhile, enters season six in the NFL, with five starts on his resume. It'll be his first game action as a Texan after signing on to the practice squad late last December. In that month of work, combined with the offseason, OTAs and training camp, Boyle has gained a lot from the Texans offensive staff of Coordinator Bobby Slowik, Quarterbacks Coach Jerrod Johnson and Senior Assistant Bill Lazor.
"Incredibly exciting," Boyle said. "Love the guys here. Love the coaches. It's a great fit for me. Honestly, I feel like I'm becoming a much better quarterback. Coach Johnson, Coach 'Slow, Coach Lazor really doing a good job of assessing my weaknesses and pushing me. Football is back and I'm excited to be a Texan and try to go tame those Bears."
2) Shiny and new – The first look at rookies in action is always intriguing. There are 12 rookies currently on the Texans 90-man roster, and eight of them are draftees. All have flashed at times during camp, and third-round safety Calen Bullock from USC is anxious to get his first bit of game action under his belt.
"I can't wait," Bullock said. "I'm excited. I've dreamed about this day. This day is coming up and now Thursday, it's the first game for the preseason. Get to go out there in front of everybody. I know everybody is going to be watching. Football is back, so I can't wait."
Safety Jimmie Ward, a veteran of 11 seasons, is impressed with Bullock's "range out in the middle of the field" and his ability to make plays. On the whole, though, Ward's liked the younger players' first bit of action.
"They have been doing a great job," Ward said. "DeMeco and (General Manager) Nick (Caserio) did a great job in free agency and in the draft. Guys like 'Lockdown', that is Kamari [Lassiter] if you guys don't know who that is him. He is Lockdown, he's got the chain it was cool. He has been making a lot of plays, its crazy. Some of the defensive lineman that we have has been doing a phenomenal job."
3) Receiving opportunities – The Texans have a deep wide receiver corps. Nico Collins is coming off a 1,200-yard season. Tank Dell shined as a rookie before a December injury. Stefon Diggs has cranked out 1,000-yard seasons and is a multi-time Pro Bowler.
But the players behind those three are impressive as well, and will get their chances to make a big impression with the extra playing time.
"Those guys are really making a leap to go out there and fight for their time and they've shown flashes of what they can do," Mills said. "It's exciting seeing all those guys line up on the same team as you and being able to have all those weapons across the board."
Boyle agreed.
"Whether you're getting one rep, two reps or three reps, you know you're getting quality receivers in there," Boyle said. "Whether it's Ben Skowranek, John Metchie, Xavier Hutchinson, Johnny Johnson, Steve Sims. So any of those guys you plug and play, it's like, 'Oh, okay. I have two really good guys on the outside. I got a great slot receiver, so it makes our job easier..They're all smart veteran players who have been around the block. "It's extremely exciting as quarterback.
4) Trench life – The Texans defensive line competition has been frisky, and Thursday night will be another chance for those linemen to impress. On the interior, Folorunso Fatukasi has been impactful in the early part of camp. Whether or not he plays a lot on Thursday remains to be seen, but he underscored the mindset needed by the tackles on this Texans defense.
"Our job as interior guys is to be aggressive, to be the dominant person, to get off the ball, shoot your hands with intent," Fatukasi said. "Those are the things we try to craft and sharpen each day, day to day. Rome wasn't built in a day so we will continue to grow in that matter."
5) New kickoff rules – The NFL has new kickoff rules. (You can read more about them HERE.) Special teams coordinator Frank Ross and the Texans have practiced extensively in this area, but might not actually show what they'll do during the regular season in any of these preseason matchups.
Caserio believes the bulk of the NFL teams this preseason won't show too much of what they'll do in the upcoming five months of action. He also explained what to expect in the long run.
"I think the intent was to try to keep the kickoff return as a part of the game," Caserio said. "I'm sure that'll be the case. I think everybody will be creative…tackling ball, handling and things that go along with the return units will be at a premium."
