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Early Texans position battles to watch during training camp

Plenty of other names are set to be safe with their roles moving forward, but several positions might be up for grabs heading into the first preseason game.

The Houston Texans won’t play ball until Aug. 9 versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Some roster spots in training camp are safe, some are not.

Plenty of other names are set to be safe with their roles moving forward, but several positions might be up for grabs heading into the first preseason game. Barring injury, depth or lack of production, it’s safe to say that these four positions are ones Texans fans might want to keep a close eye on when listening to the local news or reading their papers in the morning.

Let’s dive in and see which positions might be the most intriguing battles moving forward in training camp.

Starting Slot Receiver: Braxton Miller vs Bruce Ellington vs Keke Coutee

DeAndre Hopkins is a consensus top 10 receiver in today’s league and has remained at the top without a legitimate quarterback feeding him the football. Will Fuller is a former first round pick who finally came into his own last season with seven touchdowns. Neither is in place to lost reps as the two starting outside receivers. The starting slot receiver is still up for grabs at the moment, three players all have justifiable reasons to take reps with the first team offense.

Bruce Ellington is a veteran talent that finally remained healthy last season. The journeyman had receiver career highs with 29 receptions, 330 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Braxton Miller will enter his third year as the teams most reliable option and has seen the most option of the three contestants. However, Miller has battled multiple injuries since switching from quarterback to receiver at Ohio State. Not only that, Miller’s production has vast been underwhelming since being drafted in 2016. In just two years, Miller has only collected just 34 receptions and a pair of touchdowns.

Don’t sleep on the rookie from Texas Tech either. Coutee has home run caliber speed and can take the top off defenders from multiple areas of the field. Add in his natural hands and ability to win after the catch, Coutee could end up being the best option long-term if he shows progress in his intermediate routes during training camp.

Offensive Tackle: Julién Davenport vs Martinas Rankin vs Seantrel Henderson

The Texans must find a way to protect Watson next season if they want to keep his legs fresh off a torn ACL. Last season, Houston traded away franchise left tackle Duane Brown to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2018 third-round selection. With that third round pick, Houston might have found their next franchise left tackle in the form of the Mississippi State tackle. While Rankin comes in as perhaps the big name heading into training camp, two other tackles will be giving him a run for his money as the better options to command both the left and right side.

Davenport will head into training camp with the most experience on the roster, but perhaps the most to prove as well. In four starts at left tackle last season, the former Bucknell standout struggled against the high tempo pass rushing speed. Still, Davenport’s, size and experience with the current staff should make him a highly valued target.

Henderson signed a one year, $4 million contract in a “prove it” deal during the offseason. During his four year stint in Buffalo, Henderson showed some promise as a swing tackle but found more success on the right side of the ball. He could be limited to right tackle for the Texans offense or find himself playing a similar role he was accustomed to in Buffalo.

As for Rankin, many scouts believe he could find more success inside rather than at the tackle position. However, his quick reaction off the ball along with solid footwork and working with two dual-threat quarterbacks could make him a stronger option protecting Watson’s blind side.

Second Running Back: D’Onta Foreman vs Alfred Blue

This truly isn’t a battle for the long-term, but it could be to begin the start of the season. With little word on the current condition of Foreman heading into training camp, this could be a moment for Blue to regain snaps as the team’s secondary back. Blue excels best in short yardage situations rather than outside gap runs. His lower body strength allows him to fight for the small yards and his pass blocking skills should suffice in a pinch.

Foreman however should be the obvious choice for the long-term future. The former third round selection has solid speed to hit the outside hash mark while also strong enough to take zone runs up the middle. Foreman also is a valuable piece in the passing game as he proved to be a capable pass catcher on dump routes and as a last resort. Foreman still could be eased back into playing time as he suffered a torn Achilles mid-season against the Cardinals. If Foreman can show he’s healthy and improved as a pass blocker, it’s his job to lose. If not, it’s hard not at least give Blue a shot.

Kick Returner: Tyler Ervin vs Keke Coutee

As much as fans may not consider special teams an important part of a team’s game plan, they made need to reevaluate some choices. Special teams can make or break a team on both sides as scoring could help seal a victory while pinning a team near the end zone could set any defense up for a chance to wreck havoc. While the kickoff, punting and extra point game is manageable, something must be addressed about the team’s kick return squad before the start of regular season. Plenty of speedsters could fight for the starting nod but in the end, there’s only two strong options.

Former fourth-round running back Tyler Ervin was truly drafted thanks to his return skills back at San Jose State. In his two years with the Texans, Ervin has only had 19 returns for just 356 yards and still has yet to score a touchdown. His numbers on punt returns aren’t much better either. Coutee on the other hand might make his hot start in the NFL as the team’s primary kick returner. For the Red Raiders, the 5’10” speedster averaged 31.5 yards per return during his final season and has the speed to hit the corner before turning on the burners and finding the end zone. If the Texans want to be a complete team, they’ll have to find success from one of these two in the return game as well.

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