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Saturday Night lights during Training camp doesn't compare to Sunday Afternoon lights during the regular season, but it was fun to change it up on day number nine at the Houston Methodist Training Center. Let's dive into my Harris Hits from the first evening practice of the 2026 season.
There's turnt up and then there's the level to which the defense went to on Saturday evening. I don't know what was communicated in meetings the past few days but something triggered this defense on Saturday night. I've seen that in games the past two years, in particular, and the defense was on a mission to DOMINATE practice. DE Will Anderson Jr. and DE Danielle Hunter were in the backfield all night. The linebackers shot gaps to shut down the run game consistently. The secondary was all around the football. The offense did have moments and I'll note them along the way, but, hot damn, this defense turned the volume up and blew out the speakers, metaphorically speaking, of course.
After watching one-on-ones with the OL/DL, I originally thought the practice would be quite the opposite. The OL seemed to register more wins on pass rush reps than the DL. It started with G Ed Ingram with an excellent rep, staying between DT Sheldon Rankins and the QB. Two reps later, G Wyatt Teller locked up DT Tommy Togiai's hands to keep Tommy from escaping. No worries, though, Togiai would get loose later in team drills. But, for that drill, Teller won that rep.
Tommy also had more success in the second one-on-one rep with Teller. He looked like he had been shot out of a cannon up the field and that quickness and burst seemed to catch Teller off guard, no pun intended.
Rookie DT Kayden McDonald was more active with his hands on Saturday night and that showed in how much distance he put between himself and the interior OL he faced. Days prior, he struggled to throw hands to get free to the QB.
T Aireontae Ersery and Will Anderson Jr. had a battle each time they locked horns in one-on-ones and team drills. During one-on-ones, though, Ersery seemed to handle Anderson Jr.'s dynamic rush with excellent agility and strength.
DT Naquan Jones has strung together strong days in the middle of this defense. On his first rush, I wrote, very quickly mind you, "good late snatch." On his rush, he got hands on the IOL then at the last proper second, he SNATCHED the inside of the IOL's jersey and ripped him to the ground, stepping past to get free to the QB. DC Matt Burke noted that Jones' "progress is starting to show." That rep was Exhibit A of his progress/growth.
G Febechi Nwaiwu is built like a brick outhouse and is just as difficult to move. On his first one-on-one rep, DT Dominic Bailey tried to bull rush right down Nwaiwu's center and the hulking IOL sunk his hips and anchored to keep Bailey out of the pocket. Nwaiwu flashed some serious strength.
T Braden Smith took plenty of one-on-one reps and put edge rushers in their place for sure. He's so efficient with his movement. He doesn't panic. He's powerful with strong hands. I used the word "killed", I used the word "destroyed" for two of his reps. He also shut down an inside counter move on his third rep.
C/G Evan Brown is strong as all get out and if he gets meat hooks into a DT, it's over. He plays with great pad level and, as result, he can lock up DTs who try to bull him at the point of attack.
Remember my first note about how the defense was turnt up on Saturday night? Well, on the first play of the team drills during the evening, rookie LB Wade Woodaz sprinted into the backfield to shut down a David Montgomery run before it even got started. The speed Woodaz displayed? My goodness. He was in that backfield in a HURRY.
The next play of team drills was a good/bad, good/bad situation. Togiai slid into the backfield as soon as the ball was snapped and it would have been a definite sack. He was in QB C.J. Stroud's face immediately, but he peeled off so as to not hit the Texans' QB. When he did, Stroud moved out of the pocket and then threw a fastball to WR Nico Collins for a first down. It was a sack. It was an effective pass-catch situation. Good/bad. Good/bad.
Then, similar to Woodaz on the first play, newly extended LB Henry To'oTo'o knifed into the backfield to tag off on RB Woody Marks nearly immediately upon taking a handoff. There are plenty of reasons why the Texans chose to give To'oTo'o another contract and this play was symbolic as to why.
Right after the To'oTo'o TFL, I wrote "Defense decided to SHOW UP!" It wasn't finished.
QB Davis Mills then tried to get the offense going. He eyed WR Lewis Bond on a deep over route after play action. As he launched to Bond, S Jaylen Reed and S Kaevon Merriweather squeezed the coverage on top of Bond forcing an incompletion. That's a tough cover, but those two made it look easy.
On the next play, DE Solomon Byrd shut down a run play for another TFL. Byrd has been excellent in this training camp. Consistent. Violent. Productive. He's improved so much just in this camp alone, much less from the previous two seasons.
A few plays later, the Texans faced a fourth and one. Stroud threw a bullet to WR Jayden Higgins on the sideline for the first down. That ball had some sauce on it too, but Higgins just enveloped the ball into his chest easily. But, on the next play, S Jalen Pitre hit a blitz so perfectly that he got into the LOS before any of the linemen on either side moved off the ball. No one got a hand on him and he registered what would've been a TFL.
After three offensive plays, QB Graham Mertz and the offense faced a fourth and one. Instead of trying to hammer it home in the run game, Mertz faked a handoff and found rookie TE Marlin Klein in the left flat open for the completion. The athletic rookie then turned the corner and sprinted 20-25 yards ahead into the end zone. Dude was MOVING or BEWEGEN in Klein's home language.
Once the first team period was completed, the team did a simulated game situation. They mixed in special teams moments with plays from scrimmage for the rest of practice.
On third down of the first series, Danielle Hunter brought the funk and would've sacked Stroud, but the Texans QB let the ball go regardless. Unfortunately for the offense, the ball found the hands of CB Kamari Lassiter. Sack or INT? Tough result either way for the offense on third down.
Two plays later, Stroud hit Higgins on the speed out right in front of me. The one thing that stands out from field level on a Stroud throw is the timing of the ball being released. He throws the ball with such great anticipation and well before the WR makes his break.
Then, two plays later on what was a 2nd and six play, Stroud drilled a backshoulder throw to WR Jared Wayne, who was brilliant on Friday morning. Speaking of brilliant, that was a BRILLIANT backshoulder throw to Wayne with a DB draped all over him.
On the next play, Lassiter shot into the backfield to keep the offense from picking up a yard on third and one. I've seen that type of play from Lassiter a hundred times if I've seen it once. It seemed everyone on defense had a run stuff on Saturday night, including the secondary guys.
But, Stroud answered with a SEED to WR Justin Watson on the far sideline for a first down. That might have been 7's best throw on Saturday evening.
Mills then hit three straight completions. His first one was to WR Josh Kelly across the middle of the field wide open. Then, Mills drilled one to TE Cade Stover before he went back to Kelly for the third straight completion.
DE Dominique Robinson had seen enough and on his next pass rush, he was in Mills face for what would've been a sack. I've seen Robinson win more and more on the edge in the pass game over the past week. He's been much better since the pads came on and he has a different gear than any of the edge rushers on this team. In fact, two of the next four plays were disrupted by Robinson.
Lassiter struck again as Stroud attempted to hit Nico Collins on a backshoulder fade a few plays later. He gives up five inches and 30 pounds to Nico, but he never gets bodied and nearly always makes a play on the ball.
On the next play, Stroud spied Lewis Bond on the deep over route, but he was a little late releasing the ball. Because of that, Hawk, aka S Calen Bullock, jumped the route and picked off the pass. He was just lurking in the middle and when he saw the ball released, I knew it was going to be a pick 100%. The ball finds 2's hands anytime it hangs in the middle of the field.
To'oTo'o forced an incompletion on the next play, but a couple of plays later, I gave three asterisks to Stroud on a backshoulder throw to Higgins. That combination is getting more and more consistent. Rookie CB Collin Wright was all over Higgins, but the second year receiver snatched the ball out of the air for a big gain.
All I have written on the next play is "Too much pressure. 55 burned around the edge. 5 blitz too" Yeah, that wasn't a great play for the offense.
The next play was perhaps the best run of the day. RB Noah Whittington hit a seam on the left side behind a GREAT/violent downblock from T Blake Fisher. Whittington found the seam, but he couldn't miss it as Fisher caved that left side all the way in.
Josh Kelly made his third catch of the day on the next play, a wonderful throw from Graham Mertz. A few plays later on third down, DE Dylan Horton threw a violent rush at one of the tackles and created a pressure on the second year QB.
Mertz and his offensive group moved down inside the low red zone. On fourth down, Mertz scrambled to his right but he kept looking back inside, instead of to his flat. He had a receiver open just in front of him in the flat but because he had eyes to the back of the end zone…he threw an INT to CB Brandon Codrington.
During the final team period, the offense was given an opportunity to excel in the two minute drill. But, BUT, Will Anderson Jr. had other designs on things. He was in Stroud's face in two steps on the first play for a definitive sack to start the series. Then, To'oTo'o drilled Woody Marks on a short completion on the sideline.
Anderson Jr. did jump offsides on the third play of the series and that was about all the offense could muster. Collin Wright had a PBU on a throw to Jared Wayne. Luckily, K Ka'imi Fairbairn drilled a 60-yarder to end the series.
Mills took over and moved the offense into position in his two minute drill opportunity. He hit rookie WR Daniel Sobkowicz for a big first down (although he would've been sacked by DE Jadeveon Clowney). Then, he hit Cade Stover to move closer to the end zone but a throw to Justin Watson just missed in the end zone as Watson couldn't get a second foot down for the TD. Either way, Fairbairn nailed another drill ending field goal.
So, that would end the practice, before a day off on Sunday. It's much deserved and much needed, that's for sure. We'll see you on Monday, everyone!! Thanks for reading.
