Jorge Montano: Dear Drew, How excited are you about all the moves and the new way the team is going? Secondly how do you see us doing the season in the win column?
DD: Aside from the 2002 inaugural season of the franchise, the Texans have never made as many moves in an offseason as they have in 2021. Having so many new faces, alone, is exciting because there are so many new players to meet. Each guy has a unique journey and personality, and that's always fun for me. On the football side with the changes, I'm excited because I really think the offensive line will be improved and the secondary looks deeper and more talented. After a 4-12 campaign in 2020, I believe the win total can go up with better play in those areas. Ultimately, the Texans have to be as good at NOT turning the ball over as they were last year, but MUCH better at getting takeaways. Houston was the worst in the NFL in that category, getting just nine takeaways in all.
William Schultz: Dear Drew, Have you seen anything in training that lends itself to an optimistic view of Davis Mills?
DD: Of course. In May and June, almost everyone looks good. Mills got a lot of reps in Organized Team Activities, and seemed able to handle it. If he can replicate that during training camp and the preseason games, that'll be even better. But the most important tests will come if and when he plays in a regular season game. Given his background in the Stanford system, and passing game coordinator/Quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton's familiarity with him, Mills will get a chance to prove he belongs. But yes, based on what we saw of him in OTAs, there's optimism.
Steve Dougherty: Dear Drew, When are the roster cut down dates? What will permitted roster sizes be after each date? DD: Cool last name. The cuts are different this year. They'll happen the Tuesday after each week of the preseason games. On August 17, teams will trim down from 90 players to 85. The next week on August 24, they'll go from 85 to 80. The final day of August will be that final cut from 80 to 53 players. That means most teams will have 12 days between the final cutdown and the Sunday of Week 1, which is September 12.
Javier Avellan: Dear Drew, Is the upcoming Texans camp open to fans?
DD: Yes, some practices at this year's training camp will be open to fans. We'll have that announcement in the coming days, and I've been told there will even be a night practice, which the Texans haven't done since 2015's training camp.
Monroe Wilkerson: Dear Drew, Aren't the Texans due for a uniform change?
DD: The Texans aren't changing their uniforms any time soon. I understand the question, and get asked it a lot, but I've spoken with the marketing folks and there's not going to be a new uniform. Helmets, though, are a different story. This offseason, the NFL said that teams can start using alternate helmet colors in 2022. I think there's a good chance Houston will sport white Texans helmets from time-to-time in the years to come.
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