RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 13: Jared Wayne #89 of the Houston Texans scores a touchdown against Avery Smith #36 of the Los Angeles Chargers during the first quarter of a preseason game at Reliant Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first Houston Texans preseason game is in the books, and it’s one the team will likely move past quickly after a 27 to 7 loss. Throughout the game I tracked the action snap by snap, taking detailed notes as each sequence unfolded. Below, in chronological order, are one hundred observations from the Texans preseason opener.
DT Naquan Jones pushed back five yards on the second play of the game. He’ll be battling for a roster spot and not a great start.
DT Kayden McDonald showing good horizontal movement against a zone run play.
CB Tremon Smith with good fluidity moving backwards in coverage and marking his receiver.
Chargers’ KeAndre Lambert-Smith picking on linebackers a post route. The linebackers – particularly Woodaz – bit on the play action.
Jones – good penetration but bad gap integrity (note: this is going to be a theme).
DE Solomon Byrd moved off his spot; he keeps wanting to shoot the inside gap but gets his shoulders turned.
CB Jaylin Smith’s open-field fantastic tackle started from great composure, play recognition, and body placement. Good pursuit by #14 Marte Mapu who looks light but strong.
CB Tremon Smith plays too far off and doesn’t recover well enough. Will be interesting to see if he’s covering for a lack of speed or if it’s by design.
Jaylen Reed was a bit late to a slant route for a first down. Multiple early instances of good play recognition, but slow to simply commit to what he sees.
Alijah Huzzie is starting playing in slot. I forget how small he is.
Poor footwork at point of attack by Dominic Bailey that allowed a first down. Needs to rework arms and establish positioning.
Good coverage from Jake Hummel. Guarded the RB from getting the ball. For a player who missed the first part of camp he’s adjusted well to the field.
Stephen Hall late to understand where he should be in coverage for press man. Had to reorganize and allowed the WR to get positioning.
Defense rotated heavily on the first drive. Almost everyone rotated out from the start to the field goal. Will be interesting to see how much more run that first group will get the rest of the game.
First offensive drive: Xavier Hutchinson already showing his versatility. His experience in the offense and with the team will offer him “cheap” opportunities such as that to win`
Davis Mills experience and poise shown in his layered throw to Klein. Queue Texans PR to hype this throw.
Noah Whittington gets the start. The pitch play demonstrates a good knowledge of his streets: downhill running in space is where he shines.
Rutledge blocking against a nose tackle: they ran zone pitch and the linebacker came down to blitz. He did a fantastic job of adjusting to the defense rather than simply blocking the person in front of him.
Tier two receivers Watson-Wayne-Hutchinson. Note they’re above Lewis Bond. Pretty clear group here too.
Xavier Hutchinson was WIDE OPEN on the fourth down play action. Play was sniffed out quickly by the chargers defense.
Braden Smith looks smooth but buckles under immediate pressure.
Aireontay Ersery with great form on the third down block. Got depth and led the terms of the pass rusher. Something he wasn’t doing last year.
Noah Whittington is running a bit frantic and high. Needs to settle in – he’s trying too much. Needs to block better to protect Mills.
Jared Wayne is going to make a roster. Fantastic catch. Just don’t know if it will be the Texans roster.
This is Collin Wright’s Super Bowl. He’s playing like it. To be fair, he’s being targeted by Trey Lance against KLM.
Thus far, we’ve seen sightings from Collin Wright, McDonald, Rutledge, Klein, and Woodaz. Feeling good about this class.
Jake Hummel is calling the plays with Mapu and Woodaz in. That will be KEY to him staying in the team as the backup MIKE.
DE depth: WAJ/Hunter, Clowney/Horton/Byrd, Robinson/Gaye.
Offensive line two: LT: Blake Fisher, LG: Patterson OC: Evan Brown RG: Nwaiwu RT: Hagen – that means Jake Andrews was the third string, not Jarrett Patterson.
Speaking of rookies, poor angle from Kamari Ramsey to allow a first down and is getting stuck in bad positions. Three bad plays from him where the Chargers went after Ramsey.
Mostly running 4-3 base defense with Mapu at the SAM
More two tight end sets in the third offensive drive. Watching as this offense gets to its more core simple plays.
Blake Fisher looks lighter, faster, and more balanced in space. They’ve run him on several screens and allowed him to get to the LB level.
Fourth and one; zero push from the interior of the offensive line. Nothing from Patterson and Evan Brown which is par for the course with two lighter LBs. Not a great look.
Febechi Nwaiwu looks comfortable with the second string. It’s a good baseline for the fourth rounder from OU. Can he outwork Patterson and Evan Brown to be the first swing backup on the line? That’s the step from here.
Graham Mertz has been a clear step down from Davis Mills in terms of offensive control
Mapu is the best backup linebacker we have and it isn’t close. He’s able to sift through blocks.
Kamari Ramsey drops a pick-six. He was in a great place as the underneath coverage in zone with placement between the QB and WR. Will use this as a baseline for encouragement after a poor series.
NICE three-and-out after two long drives against this defense. It’s the second-tier LBs and Safeties with the third-string CBs and DL
Not getting nearly enough pressure from the defensive ends. Zero from the defensive tackles.
Vibe check: both teams have a ton of depth. This is a high-quality preseason game and the coaches will be happy with the film so far. A lot to work off of both good and bad.
Blake Fisher absolu...
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