- 7 weeks ago
Reggie, Figgy and Luke Mauro react to the Texans’ roster following cutdown day and discuss the biggest surprises, notable decisions, and what stands out about the team heading into Week 1.
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00:00cut down the 53-man roster happens and so there's a lot of things within it because of course Nick
00:05Casario and the Houston Texans couldn't be normal you know like they couldn't just give you a fairly
00:09normal 53-man cut down it's it's it's a little odd but again I think it highlights the idea of
00:15an initial 53-man roster as opposed to a final 53-man roster I think you get the distinction
00:19that I'm making there so Luke I will ask you and we can just kind of take this little free
00:23-form
00:23artisanal conversation here uh what's the most surprising thing that you saw or what were some
00:29of the most surprising things that you took away from the Texans 53-man cut down yeah it's definitely
00:34odd first and foremost like you said I mean this is the first draft not the final draft it's like
00:38putting together the the seating chart for the wedding and then you know you're still waiting
00:42on the invites and like oh this person's not coming this person you know Uncle John wants to bring his
00:4625-year-old girlfriend we got to find a way to fit her in so it's uh it can be
00:51tricky but that felt
00:52like it's a busy time right now uh but you know for the Texans with this roster I think the
01:00biggest
01:00surprise for me was specifically with the skill set players right now in offense and the lack thereof
01:06uh in in the past two years they kept seven wide receivers this year just five they had 17 total
01:13skill set players the last two years this year just 14 so for me it was wide receiver and running
01:18back
01:18but specifically wide receiver because as the day unfolded I saw the news of Justin Watson being
01:24cut or released and I figured it was between him and Lewis Bond and personally I would have gone
01:29Justin Watson so I saw the Watson news I thought okay well I guess he's gone they chose Lewis but
01:33and
01:34then you see he's not on the roster it's like dang they only kept five receivers and obviously you
01:38could try to get Bond back on practice squad none of this is is final but I think that was
01:42the biggest
01:42surprise is that at least the initial roster didn't include either of those guys only five receivers
01:48and then also only three running backs with a couple of surprise cuts there those were the
01:53two areas I focused most that that I thought were surprising of how few of those guys that they
01:58initially kept on the roster yeah I think it's interesting you may mention the wide receivers
02:02and then the running backs in a weird way you're not wrong they're both kind of surprising
02:05I was a little less weirded out by the running backs and just to make it clear if you did
02:11not see
02:12the running backs that are on the initial 53 man roster for your Houston Texans two are the very obvious
02:17ones in David Montgomery you acquired from the Lions this offseason and Woody March who obviously was
02:21your lead back by the end of last year and then you have British Brooks who of course manages to
02:27make
02:27it back from whatever injury he was dealing with right before you get to the cut down and then that
02:31is it right so all the consternation all the hand-wringing that we have been doing about Jawar Jordan who
02:37was dealing with that hip flexor who supposedly seems to be healthy now himself and Noah Whittington who
02:42also seems to be some level of healthy at least according to the reporting that I saw both of
02:46them end up released or waived whichever one suits their their uh I guess their their tenure in the
02:52league to me the reason why I wasn't weirded out about him is it feels like they have a level
02:56of
02:57belief in either of them and tell me if you agree with this thought process I kind of looked at
03:01this
03:02as the Texans saying one of them will make it through uh you know waivers or you know being able
03:08to
03:08be picked up or whatever and whichever one comes back that's cool um that's how I looked at it but
03:14then I also talked to someone yesterday I think I was talking to John Hickman of a locked on Texans
03:18and is it possible also that they might be scouring to see the uh the market and see if there
03:23is another
03:23running back that they might like as well but it is it I guess it is a weird thing if
03:27you really
03:27consider the fact that they have talked almost like unendingly about how they want to be a running
03:32football team and so to come in at least with an initial 53-man roster and I imagine that there
03:37will be a
03:37running back added in the next day or two but to come in and have two effective running backs because
03:42they never hand British books the ball is a very weird thing it is and I'm with you I'm in
03:46both of
03:46those regards that I do think you get one of them back on the practice squad same like a Lewis
03:50Bond
03:50so part of this conversation can be altered or affected here in the next 48 hours and then I do
03:56think they'll go out and at least look to add maybe a veteran running back onto the roster uh but
04:02that's
04:02why I found that jarring might be too strong of a word but that's why I thought and again it's
04:07just it's the first draft but I was like dang only two true running backs only five receivers where
04:12you still worry about like Nico Collins if they actually started the season with this uh with
04:17these number of players at these positions then I'd really be scratching my head but obviously
04:21there's still more work to be done but yeah the two running backs stood out to me as well especially
04:26when I have concerns of like a David Montgomery workload because he just hasn't been that lead guy in
04:31recent years I think you're going to need a rotation of pieces handling the football in the
04:36backfield so those are the two areas and then it also you know just spoke more to me of like
04:42it's the line I'm actually wearing coincidentally a Tom Petty shirt today but the favorite lyric was
04:46most things I worry about never happen anyways and it's like we have these conversations all off
04:51season and like oh Lewis Bond or Justin Watson who are they going to keep and then in the end
04:55like
04:55it's neither of them right so it's like we can get ourselves all worked up and have all these
05:00conversations and then just get completely thrown for a loop yesterday and again all with a grain of
05:04salt because some of these guys will be back on the roster or practice squad or used throughout the
05:08season but despite like some of the debates and worries that we are having and what are they going
05:14to do and they just threw that curveball yesterday where to your point like two running backs five
05:18receivers I just didn't see that coming yeah I think that's a great point it's one of those things
05:22that logically I very much resonate with which is we're doing all this talking in this 50 especially
05:26when we're talking about the 53rd man who do you like is the 53rd man versus the 54th man
05:31and ultimately if that if 53rd man matters to your team you're in you're in a really smelly place I
05:37imagine right outside of very particular circumstances so we do get ourselves up in arms but it's our
05:43first foray back into football in that time period I recognize what it is right uh that being said I
05:48don't want to run away from the fact that there are five wide receivers and that you you started
05:52talking about it Nico Collins is almost a given to miss a couple of games so there's that portion of
05:57it
05:57but also I don't know about you but I very much felt like with all the talk that they had
06:01done
06:01about running the football I was a lot more interested in what the passing game looked like
06:05during camp and so the idea that they end up especially the guys that they let go of Justin
06:09Watson I understand that release or that cut because he if you looked at what he actually did on the
06:15field
06:15I don't know why you would keep him however I know that this team is a respecter of that dude
06:19what
06:20he's done what he's capable of doing just generally at least in a in a vacuum or uh you know
06:24I guess
06:25in theory I I know that they value that I kind of appreciated that that they didn't let that uh
06:30impact the way that they handled this at least in the initial cut down but then also the idea that
06:34Louis Vaughn gets cut I I do feel like this is another one of those I anticipate him back especially
06:39because he is a slot receiver in you know I think Seth Payne made this point a slot receiver in
06:45in
06:45training camp is likely or liable to look really good because there's not advanced you know coverages and
06:51everything and so that's the person who can maybe get off a little bit and even then he didn't
06:55have great preseason games he had good practices so maybe this is one of those things where you
06:59don't worry about him being picked up by other teams also because I think his real value shows
07:04up in his familiarity with the system not necessarily in his like speed or anything you know separation
07:08anything like that the things that you imagine translate system to system he is more system guy
07:13and I don't know that there's a lot of systems that are a lot of places that are running this
07:16Erhard Perkins kind of style system where they go I need that guy so he's maybe more valuable to you
07:21than others I still come back to the idea of five wide receivers does that feel like that tells you
07:25something about the way that they're valuing who they're going to in the pass game does that maybe
07:29give you some intimation that the running backs are going to be involved more the tight ends are
07:33going to be involved more maybe that's why they feel comfortable at least on the initial cut down
07:36only have five of them jokers sure or shoot could one of these 12 offensive linemen catch the football
07:41as well he might have to throw the football to the some of those guys but yeah I think it's
07:45that I mean
07:46like woody marks I think will play a big or could play a bigger role or a big role in
07:50the the passing
07:51game and then you keep four tight ends so hopefully you get some good production from that position
07:56group in general so so certainly so and also I mean as you've been touching on like leaning into the
08:02running game too it's not to to make the wide receivers less valuable but you do keep those four
08:07tight ends you do keep all the offensive linemen that just give you more blockers to be able to
08:11run the football and hopefully pass protect as well um but you know circling back to to lewis
08:17bot I'm sure more moves are going to come he might be one of those back on the practice squad
08:22I did see
08:23where the texans have waived for third day picks the last three years and got them all back so to
08:30your point about like fitting systems and how will other teams maybe look at him uh those guys that you
08:35draft in the last couple of rounds of the draft you can typically be able to still stash and keep
08:40around but yeah the five five receivers is probably my biggest takeaway the running backs as well
08:45was surprising but I do think that you'll see woody marks you'll see some of these tight ends
08:50you know the the texans used and I'm jumbling all the stats in my head but I think it was
08:54like the
08:55fewest two tight end sets last year or second fewest correct I think that's going to be different this
08:59year which will then also lead to those guys playing a bigger role in the passing game so yeah to
09:04succinctly succinctly answer your question I do believe the running backs and tight ends will play a
09:08larger role this year in catching the football yeah when we talk about oddities though with the
09:1253 man cut down that happened yesterday at what was it 5 p.m central the weirdest thing is the
09:18idea
09:18that you have 12 offensive linemen yeah and you made trades in that room as well um I think one
09:25of the
09:25things within that right and of course the starting five that you had seen be kind of become the
09:29starting five Ursary Rutledge Brown Evan Brown that is at center Ed Ingram at right guard and Trent Brown
09:34right tackle seems to be held intact Jake Andrews is indeed the second center as he he will make the
09:42roster at least right now as they sent Jarrett Patterson in a trade to the San Francisco 49ers
09:47they get back a seventh round pick and this this one felt this was a little surprising to me in
09:53part
09:53because I thought that the versatility that uh that Jarrett Patterson demonstrated would be something
09:57that was valuable to them the opportunity to move around on the interior and also give them
10:01another center guy but it seems like for him there's value in being able to go to the San Francisco
10:0649ers
10:07play in a system that feels a lot more equipped to his body type and everything um and they did
10:12keep
10:12Jake Andrews who I wonder if that's just kind of a a placeholder as of for right now because he
10:17knows
10:17the system and everything because specifically I just I keep looking at this and I go I still think
10:21that he is the third center on this roster right technically if you just look at the depth chart he
10:25will fall in behind Evan Brown rather I think it's Evan Brown then if you need to you move
10:30Keelan Rulich back to center and then breaking case of emergency Jake Andrews because I don't think
10:34you I still don't think you can get over the the the big thing about him that was tough last
10:38year is
10:38the physicality simply isn't there and this team wants to be a more physical offensive line I think
10:43it gets hard even in circumstances where it's an injury and it's an emergency I still think that
10:47there's an opportunity for you to still play relatively big by having you know Keelan Rulich move
10:51in if you really needed to unless unless the Wyatt Teller thing really is worse than uh it has already
10:57looked which has already not been all that great to this point I agree with you but at the same
11:01time
11:01I was also happy that they kept Jake Andrews or somebody else at that center position because
11:07I've moved off the idea like I would like to just keep Keelan Rulich at a guard position and not
11:12have
11:13to worry about potentially moving him to center now of course that's we're operating under this idea that
11:18if Evan Brown were to get injured or maybe he's performing so badly you have to bench him and move
11:22Keelan Rulich over but I prefer Rulich to be at a guard anyway so I'm glad that there's somebody else
11:26whoever that might be now Jake Andrews might not be much help at that position anyways but we also
11:32had the report over the weekend I think or last week like the commanders keeping an eye to see if
11:36Jake Andrews becomes available and who knows if that's true or not but I was thinking like is he
11:40kind of like Kyrie Irving's a stretch but that idea where like the people on the outside think like
11:45oh this guy's not very good but the people in the sport will tell you how great of a player
11:50like
11:51Kyrie Irving is and how he's he's one of the best and I was just thinking like huh I don't
11:55know are we
11:55missing the forest for the trees with Jake Andrews that some other team is hoping that he gets
11:59released so they can scoop him up and get him on the low I don't think so but the only
12:04team that
12:04fits that profile was the Washington commanders who have had centers go down during training camp
12:08fair I think that's the only other team that I've at least I've seen right on my timeline be like
12:13hey
12:13watch out for the possibility of Jake Andrews getting cut y'all but see the thing is whenever people
12:17talk about Jake Andrews like I know here we like nah he ain't it but everybody else is like oh
12:22he only gave
12:23what what one sack or two sacks this is like nah y'all wouldn't watch no games man so I
12:29don't know
12:29if they just looking at the stats and saying oh this is a good center so it's true yes I
12:34don't know
12:34what it is well you know as they say stats are like bikinis they show a lot but not everything
12:38so
12:39he if you actually watch the tape I like that you know what what he can bring to the table
12:43but
12:44but yeah I just liked it there was somebody else I like that when I look at the depth chart
12:48Keelan Rutledge is not listed as the number two center because just me personally I would prefer
12:52to keep him away from the center position I mean fair enough and honestly on the depth chart he's
12:57already the number one guard left guard so yeah man putting him back on there a second time another
13:02thing there's a couple more oddities that I wanted to talk about and somebody said what's up with
13:05Wyatt Teller and he just didn't look all that good in camp to so much so that like he went
13:09from
13:10the the de facto starting left guard to then like moving and when they moved him to the second line
13:16at least out there he didn't move to the second line left guard they moved into right guard which
13:20that was the thing for me that kind of sent up an antenna Luke is because I looked over him
13:24looked
13:25at that and went oh they're trying to see if they can get something out of him right it has
13:29not looked
13:29as good at left guard which admittedly is not the position that he has played in the NFL recently he
13:34had played right guard and so that to me felt like the the offensive line coach whether you know
13:39Cole Popovich or you know whoever on the of the decision makers on the offense going can we get the
13:44can we get
13:44some more out of him by getting him back to his original position which did not signal well to
13:49me but he's still on this team as of right now I'd be interested to see how they're going to
13:52cut down
13:53from 12 because you're not carrying 12 offense alignment you know and so is Wyatt Teller one of
13:57those where could they possibly looking at trading some of these dudes maybe even Wyatt Teller I think
14:01Brayden Smith is one of those guys that he wasn't designated for to go on to the injured reserve with
14:06the designation to return I'm wondering if they're going to carry him for a day and then put him on
14:11the IR
14:11because we know he had that injury um at the at the joint practice last week Wednesday the ones
14:17that are weird is the very back end because tackle is because of Brayden Smith injury um tackle is a
14:22weird place you have your starting tackles Trent Brown and Ariante Ursary uh right and left tackles
14:26respectively then you have Blake Fisher as a swing tackle but the question is like what was the depth
14:31behind that Sam Hagan remains on this roster and Sam Hagan I don't think there was anything to write
14:36home about with him in camp but maybe they just look at him undrafted free agent as a developmental
14:40guy maybe they want to hold on to him and then see if they can move him to this practice
14:44squad I
14:44don't know once other teams have their stuff solidified as well but the the weird thing to
14:48me was that the Texans traded for a dude named Nathan Thomas from the Cowboys so they gave up a
14:52seventh round pick so that kind of serves as a net neutral between the seventh round that pick that
14:57they acquired by sending around sending away Jarrett Patterson and I immediately thankfully I have some
15:02connections in Dallas so I immediately reached out and the words that were used about Nathan Thomas's
15:06training camp this year were not good and awful I don't want to give you like all the details of
15:12it but
15:12like those were the big things that stood out he just was not good they brought him in to compete
15:16at
15:16left tackle and the court head coach stated this is a competition competition was grand open and grand
15:22close and it was over as soon as it happened they moved in the right tackle to compete and he
15:25didn't do
15:25that either and I asked like okay well you're talking about starters what about like just as depth and
15:30they're like yeah I don't think that I'd like that as depth either so I'm very curious as to why
15:35they went
15:35and this is this just a flyer does that say something about the questions that they have at tackle I'm
15:39very curious about that yeah you bring up a good question a good point that I didn't really think of
15:44but you
15:44look at the tackles and Trent Brown I mean are we sure he's going to be able to make it
15:47through a whole
15:47season and then Braden Smith's already injured and had some questions about him Blake
15:51Fisher's most improved but he's still Blake Fisher and you know we have to see it in these games
15:55this year Sam Hagan's an undrafted free agent and then you said Nathan Thomas
15:58uh has been terrible in Dallas so those are your tackles so really I mean behind your starters
16:03you got a lot of questions about the depth which is something I guess that didn't really dawn on me
16:07until just now when you laid that out and and that can certainly that can be concerning I'm a big
16:11Trent Brown guy but we'll see if he can make it through the year you're going to need some of
16:14these other guys yeah and I think Braden Smith returning will be you know forever how long that
16:19injury is will be fine for that level of backup of Trent Brown I was just curious because they got
16:23a
16:23couple of dudes that they actively kept on this 53 that I go how do they help you right now
16:29with
16:29this team but yeah that's that is the initial 53 I very much and there's still more we didn't even
16:34talk about anything on the defensive side of the football so we will return to the Texas 53 man
16:38cut down as we continue in the loop here on 95.7