[Music] Welcome into Texans today everybody. I’m your host Jeremy Chugs and coming up on today’s program, I’m going to take a look at the at the top players on offense and on defense that you should keep an eye out for in the Texans very first preseason matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. We will be live for this game. It’s going to be on August 9th, so this Saturday, 300 p p.m.
Central time. We’ll be live two hours before kickoff. And I was actually looking at the analytics because we actually have a Vikings channel known as Vikings. Now, we’re actually losing in terms of subs gained this week. We’ve only gained 63 subs.
They’ve gained 92. So, help me beat our Vikings channel. Before we even step foot on the football field, let’s out sub them this week. If you’re brand new to the channel, make sure to hit that subscribe button. It’s 100% free and you get Texans content all year long.
So, before I get into today’s video, it’s important to note most starters will likely not play.
If they do play, it’ll probably be only one drive. So, you’re not going to see a ton of starter like starting guys on my list to start off today’s show. It’s mostly going to be backups, guys who are maybe vying for a starting spot. Kind of like the first guy on my list, Blake Fischer, offensive tackle.
Now, the saga of Blake Fischer this off seasonason continues. You probably saw my video that went out on Monday where Cam Robinson went down with injury. Everybody except for Blake Fischer, it seemed like, stepped up to get reps with the first team. I don’t know if the coaching staff is out on him. I don’t know if there’s some underlying injury or something else that we don’t know about.
Bottom line, Blake Fischer’s not getting run a ton with the first team.
And I want to see how he goes up against other competition, namely those guys on the other side in the Minnesota Vikings. This has been my Texans offensive line depth chart probably for the better part of three months. And I said it before, never wrong, just early. And y’all were telling me, “Oh, Ursery not going to play right tackle.
He’s going to be a backup left tackle. It’s going to be Blake Fischer.” But from all accounts, it seems like when Cam Robinson healthy, he’s playing left tackle. Arante Ursery has been starting at right tackle. And even whenever Cam Robinson went down, Arante Ursery stepped over to left tackle and then Titus Howard moved out to right tackle and Juice Scrugs went to guard.
So, I want to see how Blake Fischer looks. I don’t want to see any false starts. I want to see him get off the ball. I want to see him, you know, maybe pants pancake some guys out there. Really big game coming up for the former second round pick in Blake Fischer.
Another former second round pick makes this list, John Metchy thei third. And I know he’s a fan favorite. I I’ve been wanting him to succeed so bad. He came into the league his rookie season, got diagnosed with cancer, obviously went through chemo, went through radiation, was able to beat it, get back onto the field, but he just hasn’t been the same since.
And with the Texans adding so much to their wide receiver room this off seasonason, two draft picks, Jaden Higgins and Jaylen Null, teammates from Iowa State.
You traded for Christian Kirk. You also signed guys like Justin Watson, Braxton Barios. It’s going to be an uphill battle for John Mchi to make this Texans 53 man roster. He is on the outside looking in right there on the roster bubble when it comes to the wide receiver room. And it doesn’t help that during training camp practices, he’s been getting reps in punt return.
And one of the first days he did it, I think he muffed two punts on his first day of trying to return. So tough look there. really really hope he can get on his feet, maybe make the roster, and if not, at least continue his NFL career and make a difference somewhere else. But I really want to see John Mechy out there. I want to see him show his stuff and prove why he deserves a spot on this Texans 53man roster.
I want to hear from you, though, because it depends on whether or not the Texans keep five, six, or seven receivers on whether or not I think John Mechi is going to make this squad.
Let me know how many receivers do you think they keep on the final 53 man roster. My guess probably an even number like six, but let me know. Do you think maybe the five, seven, something crazy like eight? Go down in the comments section and let me know how many receivers you think the Texans keep on this roster.
As we roll into the next player on my players to watch, rookie Woody Marx.
The Texans went ahead and they actually went up to go get Woody Marks. They traded up, used some of their draft capital to go up and select Woody Marx, the running back out of USC. And so far, he’s been kind of a change of pace back. Nick Chub has gotten a lot of the running back one reps with Joe Mixon not practicing due to that foot injury.
Damen Pierce still sidelined so far during training camp. So, it’s been a lot of Nick Chub. We’ve seen a lot of Woody Mars, JJ Taylor, Daria Gumbo. But I’d like to see what he can do because all the word coming out whenever Woody Marks was drafted is he’s a fantastic catcher of the football in the back field. I want to see if that translates to the football field and how he’s used in this offense.
Maybe some running back screens, maybe some wheel routes out of the back field. I’d like to keep an eye on Woody March to see whether or not he can make an impact year one for this Texans offense. Let’s go to another guy on the offensive side of the football in Brevin Jordan. Tight end. He’s somebody who last off seasonason I thought he was going to be a breakout guy and he very well might have if he didn’t get hurt in that week 2 matchup against the Chicago Bears.
Only two receptions last year before sustaining that season ending injury and everything going into the year last year was you know Brevin Jordan could be the guy. He could be somebody who is able to show out and I think you know with Dalton Schultz stepping up Aaron Wilson reported he’s had an amazing camp so far. Kate Stove as well. This tight end room is looking strong. I suspect Brevin Jordan, Kate Stove, maybe get a little bit of run in this um preseason matchup up against the Minnesota Vikings.
Now, obviously coming off injury, Brevin Jordan didn’t play all of last year. So, how much run he gets, I’m not sure, but I’d like to see him out there for at least three or four drives. See if he’s got that pop, see if he’s got that burst that the Texans could definitely use in this offense in 2025.
Lastly, a name that I’ve mentioned before as a sneaky player to make this Texans 53man roster. It’s Jacob Johnson fullback.
And the Texans, they brought in British Brooks last year, the UDFA out of North Carolina, and he got injured towards the beginning of the year. And then after that, they kind of went away from using a ton of fullback looks. They don’t have a, you know, true fullback on the team. Jakob Johnson is that also formerly played with the New England Patriots while Nick Kaye and Cole Papovich were on staff. So, he has ties to this Texans coaching staff already.
Want to see if he’s out there. Maybe he doesn’t play. If he doesn’t play, does that indicate he’s with the first team offense? I don’t know, but I will be looking out to see if Yakob Johnson, number 43, is on the football field up against the Minnesota Vikings.
Now, coming up, Texans defensive players to watch.
Let’s switch sides of the football. I’m going to tell you which Texans defenders I’ll have an eye out for up against Minnesota. Before we get to that, you should have your eye on these Texans hoodies. They were $69. Now only $27.
That’s more than half off. All you got to do go to chatports.com/hou massive sale. That link will be in the comment section and description of today’s video. One more time, it’s chatsports.
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Go get them while the getting’s good. One more time, this link right here in the comment section and description of today’s program. All right, let’s go to the defensive side of the ball.
Somebody who I’ve heard a ton coming from all my sources from Texans training camp. Everybody that I’ve talked to that’s been to training camp practices has said Solomon Bird has looked really good in those, you know, second team reps, third team reps, one-on- ones going up against the uh the offensive line.
He has looked fantastic. The former seventh round pick out of USC barely got any playing time. I believe only played two games last year, but has a good shot to maybe have a chance and doing something this year. He’s somebody who’s rotated in a lot in this defensive line and with Will Anderson Jr., Denil Hunter, I very highly doubt that they have any snaps up against the Minnesota Vikings.
It’ll be guys like a Solomon Bird who will get a lot of playing time and you know will have a chance to impress this coaching staff.
He’s somebody who I think is right there on the edge. I think if he continues his trajectory, could easily make this roster or at the same time the Texans could look to keep an extra linebacker, keep an extra guy in the secondary, and that would be Solomon Bird’s roster spot. So, he has a lot to prove and a lot to gain from these um preseason matchups, especially the first one up against Minnesota. Let’s look at another guy on the defensive line, Tommy Togi.
And with the Texans, you know, they have a lot of injuries up on the defensive line. Holy footie has not practiced yet. Derek Barnett has not practiced yet. Deno Autry has also not practiced yet. Two of those guys play defensive tackle.
And that’s what to Tommy Toai is. He’s like a true nose tackle. Stout big dude. And with Tim Settle, I doubt he plays uh very much. He’s been really good during camp so far.
I think he comes in as your one of your starting defensive tackles for the Houston Texans. Tommy Togi is in that same breath as Solomon Bird.
Somebody who could get one of those final roster spots just depending on how many guys the Texans want to keep at each position. How many defensive tackles do they want to keep? How many defensive ends do they want to keep?
Really, those answers will determine the fates of a guy like a Solomon Bird and a Tommy Toai. Next up, let’s go to Nick Neman. and he’s been somebody who has impressed so far during Texans training camp, especially with somebody like a Christian Harris who has yet to practice. He’s somebody who the Texans signed this off season, has made a couple plays throughout training camp. I know has made a couple nice interceptions during team drills and is somebody who I think the Texans could look to keep on this roster as somebody who really helps out in special teams.
I think I might have to take change around this Texans linebacker depth chart, especially with Christian Harris not practicing yet. I might want to put EJ Speed at that other starting spot. But when it comes to, you know, how many linebackers the Texans keep whenever it comes to the fourth, fifth, sixth guys, maybe if they keep that many linebackers, it’s going to come down to special teams. And I think that’s where this guy excels a ton. Look for Nick Neman making plays out there with the second, third team defense whenever they go up against Minnesota on Saturday.
Let’s look at another guy, and this guy, Jaylen Smith, has been looking really good. The Texans traded up in round three to take him out of USC.
And hell, Kaylin Bulock was at his draft party. He already has a great connection with this Texans secondary. I do wonder though, how much does Jaylen Smith play?
Because that will kind of indicate to me how they view him. If he doesn’t really play at all, maybe plays one drive. I think the Texans view him as the next guy up when it comes to the outside quarterback room behind Stingley and behind Kamari Lasser. He’s been impressing a ton, making a lot of plays and one-on- ons and seven on seven drills. He’s looked really good so far and looked like the Texans made a good decision trading up in the third round to select him.
So, I really want to see if he can lock down some other wide receivers. Has been going up against, you know, battling up against guys like a Christian Kirk, like a Jaden Higgins, Jaylen Null.
I want to see him go up against Minnesota. And I am really interested to see how many snaps he gets in this first preseason matchup. And this next guy, I’m going to go with MJ Stewart.
And he’s been on this squad for the past couple seasons. And I just wonder, you know, do the Texans feel the need that they need to sign another safety or get somebody else because, you know, MJ Stewart, I I don’t think, you know, he has a ton to prove. I I mean maybe he does, you know, back into the roster guy as somebody who’s, you know, been on and off this Texans team, but with two guys injured, definitely not playing.
Jimmy Ward, the veteran, and Jaylen Reed, the sixth round rookie out of Penn State, who Aaron Wilson reported could miss, you know, a couple weeks, but it doesn’t look like it’s a season ending injury. I wonder if the Texans look at this safety room because I don’t think Kaylin Bullock plays.
I don’t think CJ Gardner Johnson plays. I don’t think Jaylen Petri plays. So you could see some of these guys getting extended minutes during this matchup and MJ Stewart could be one of those players that gets a lot of run up against the Minnesota Vikings.
Now I gave you my guys on offense and defense who you should be keeping an eye out for. Let me know though, did I miss somebody?
Name a player you’ll be watching for this Saturday as one of the quarterbacks. Maybe Davis Mills. Maybe it’s, you know, Nick Chub if he gets out there at all. Let me know down in the comments section who you’ll be watching because I will be live on Saturday 2 o’clock central time, an hour before kickoff.
Texans, Vikings, we’re going to have a ton of fun.
My first live watch party of the year. I’m so ready. We are so freaking back. Football is back for your Houston Texans. So, make sure set your notifications, set your calendar.
This Saturday at 2 o’clock, we’ll be live here on Texans Today. [Music].
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