Training camp is finally here. Well, it's a scant 144 or so hours away. Close enough, if you ask me. My next Breakfast with the Bulls will definitely be from West Virginia next week and, like many of you, I can hardly contain my excitement. As such, here are the 11 players I'm most excited to see at The Greenbrier.
11. Left tackle Julien Davenport - People, in particular nationally, are sleeping on his potential and what he can be in the future. That future truly begins next Thursday.
10. Linebacker Josh Keyes - He was claimed by the Texans this offseason and is a bit of mystery for many. There's not a ton of depth at inside linebacker, so Keyes has a shot to contribute there and on special teams.
9. Wide receiver Sammie Coates - If he catches everything thrown his way, it's going to be hard to not find a spot for a guy on this roster with his assets/attributes.
8. Guard Senio Kelemete - He was banged up during OTAs, not that offensive linemen did much anyway. I love his tenacity, toughness and quickness and I'm curious how that translates once they get into pads.
7. Cornerback Dee Virgin - The secondary has seen plenty of upgrades but with the movement of former corners to safety, there's plenty of opportunity for Virgin to compete for that fourth corner spot.
6. Cornerback Kevin Johnson - We all know why, but I just want to see Kevin get his confidence back. He can play, we've seen it, but he has to stay healthy and excel in training camp.
5. Rookie tight ends Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas - These two are going to put pressure on the coaching staff to find ways to get them the ball in the passing game. But, most importantly, we'll finally see whether they'll be able to hold their own in the run game out on the edge.
4. Tackle Martinas Rankin - I don't know whether he'll be ready to go on day one due to the injury that caused him to miss most of the offseason. But, if he is, I'll be watching him intently.
3. Safety Kareem Jackson - The move to safety won't be seamless, but Jackson could be a perfect fit at the position, especially in the absence of Andre Hal.
2. Running backs, not named Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue - Which guy steps up to take reps on a consistent basis behind those two? Troymaine Pope got plenty of reps during OTAs and minicamp and will be fun to watch, amongst others.
1. Safety Tyrann Mathieu - It'll still be surreal to see him as a Texan and I can't wait.
The Houston Texans roster in photos. (Updated 3/2/2021)
ILB, Tyrell Adams #50
TE, Jordan Akins, 88
DT, Auzoyah Alufohai, #98
P, Bryan Anger, 9
CB, Cornell Armstrong, 30
C/G, Beau Benzschawel #62
DT, Ross Blacklock #90
ILB, Curtis Bolton #47
DT, Andrew Brown, #97
TE Pharaoh Brown #85
C, Cohl Cabral #72
WR, Randall Cobb #18
ILB, Dylan Cole, 51
CB, Gareon Conley, 22
WR, Brandin Cooks #13
WR, Isaiah Coulter #82
WR, Keke Coutee, 16
CB, Keion Crossen, 35
ILB, Zach Cunningham, 41
DE, Brandon Dunn, 92
OLB, Duke Ejiofor, 53
ILB, Kyle Emanuel, 56
K, Ka'imi Fairbairn, 7
TE, Darren Fells, 87
G, Hjalte Froholdt #77
OL, Zach Fulton, 73
CB, Phillip Gaines #29
FB, Cullen Gillaspia, 44
OLB, Jonathan Greenard #52
ILB, Nate Hall, 48
NT, P.J. Hall #96
WR, Chad Hansen, #17
CB, Vernon Hargreaves III #26
T, Charlie Heck #67
RB, Dontrell Hilliard, #22
OL, Tytus Howard, 71
RB, Buddy Howell, 38
RB, David Johnson #31
CB, Lonnie Johnson, Jr., 32
T, Roderick Johnson #63
LS, Anthony Kukwa #45
LB, Jacob Martin, 54
QB, AJ McCarron #2
LB, Benardrick McKinney, 55
OLB, Whitney Mercilus, 59
WR, Steven Mitchell, Jr., 11
S, A.J. Moore, 33
S Eric Murray #23
DE, Charles Omenihu, 94
S, Jonathan Owens, 36
RB, Scottie Phillips, #40
G/T Brent Qvale #76
WR, Damion Ratley, #19
CB, John Reid #34
S, Justin Reid, 20
OLB, Brennan Scarlett, 57
OL, Max Scharping, 74
S, Michael Thomas #28
TE, Kahale Warring, 81
DL, Carlos Watkins, 91
QB, Deshaun Watson, 4
LS, Jon Weeks #46
