NFL Preseason, Week 3: Rams vs Texans — Four Things to Watch For

Well, if you didn’t get a chance to catch any of the front line team members for the Houston Texans play some brand of physical football this preseason, you’ve probably missed your chance. Buckle up for Week 1 against the Colts, because when you tune into the game on Saturday between the Texans and the Los Angeles Rams at NRG Stadium, it’s gonna be a whole lot of backups trying find their way onto a 53-man roster, either with the Texans or by putting good film for one of the other 31 teams to see.

With that said, I am super intrigued by some of the battles for roster spots as camp and the preseason wind down. Here are four things to watch for on Saturday afternoon at NRG Stadium:

4. Ali Gaye
The defensive end position group is an interesting one for the Texans. Danielle Hunter has been arguably the team’s best defensive player in camp, while Derek Barnett and Jerry Hughes have been the solid veterans you’d expect them to be. Will Anderson has been banged up, but he’s obviously a foundational player for this team.

Denico Autry’s six-game suspension opens up a spot, and it might go to Gaye, who’s played a TON of snaps in the last two preseason games, 33 against the Steelers and a team high 43 against the Giants. The team obviously sees something in the physical specimen out of LSU. Can he make the team with a big performance on Saturday?

3.  Running back room
Here we go, it’s Dameon Pierce time! Or is it? The things we know about Pierce this training camp — he has practiced pretty well, he has played in games pretty poorly (or with very little impact), and at least outwardly, DeMeco Ryans doesn’t blame Pierce for his lack of production. I have no idea what to expect tomorrow night. I could see Pierce being rested in this game as if he’s already secured a spot on the team, and I could see him playing an entire half and touching the ball 15 times, because the front office and coaching staff need a better assessment. maybe a final assessment before moving on. That would make me awfully sad, if Saturday were Pierce’s final game as a Texan.

2. Third string quarterback
GM Nick Caserio surprised me a little bit, prior to the Texans game against the Giants. In the pregame interview he does with sideline reporter John Harris, Caserio indicated that Davis Mills had locked up the backup QB job, and that Case Keenum and Tim Boyle were duking it out for the third string spot. If that’s the case, then I would suspect the right thing to do would be to play Keenum and Boyle each a half on Saturday, and let the best man win. I’d be very surprised if the dice doesn’t come up Keenum in this battle, especially considering the quasi-coach role that Keenum has played in C.J. Stroud’s development.

1. Wide receiver room
I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the Houston Texans’ 2024 wide receiver room might be the deepest, most talented position group that I’ve seen in my 18 years covering the Texans. The Texans could keep six receivers on this team, and there are still at least two, maybe three more that will get picked up by other NFL teams, almost certainly,

The things to watch for on Saturday with this group — does John Metchie play in the game, or has he locked up a spot with his stellar last ten days or so? Also, where does Noah Brown fit in? He’s been injured for the last three weeks, but when healthy, he is definitely one of the six best on the team. Finally, how does the team attack the return game? Do they keep Steven Sims in that role, essentially eating up a wide receiver spot with a guy who plays very little wide receiver? This should make for some great theater!

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