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The competition is fierce when it comes to making an NFL roster.
Every year, a new wave of rookies come to town vying for a shot with the Texans. With six draftees, another two or three dozen undrafted free agents and tryout players, the rosters swell in early May.
For many of these younger hopefuls, special teams is the surest and straightest path to getting a job.
"I would say that special teams is the main way that most of the skill players, young skill players, can make the team," head coach Bill O'Brien said. "That's probably the main way."
O'Brien explained the numbers game that comes into play when deciding who stays and who goes elsewhere to find a job.
"Last year if you look at our 53-man roster, at the end of the year we had 18 guys on that roster that were undrafted in their careers, and a number of those guys I would tell you made our team based on special teams," O'Brien said.
If there were any doubt about the importance of special teams, O'Brien and the coaches quickly put that to rest when the rookies arrive. Special teams coordinator Larry Izzo is highly involved in the process.
"That's something that we really emphasize," O'Brien said. "We have three special teams meetings per day during this camp. Larry in the first team meeting, he speaks to the whole team about the importance of special teams."
From Monday on, the rookies will work with the veterans at NRG Stadium and the Houston Methodist Training Center.
View the best shots from Day 2 of rookie minicamp on Saturday.
