The Texans are finished with Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and on Tuesday they completed a mandatory minicamp.
They worked three days last week at the Houston Methodist Training Center, practiced this morning and will do so again on Wednesday. After that, the Texans will be off until the start of training camp in late July.
Below are a few key storylines, which you can read in less than 60 seconds, from today's minicamp.
Nick of time
On Monday, 4-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb signed a free agent deal with Houston. This morning, he was on the practice field with his new teammates. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans was thrilled to see Chubb in the mix.
"I couldn't be more excited to add him to our team and see what value he can provide to us," Ryans said. "We all know the caliber of player that Nick can be when he's healthy and when he's at the top of his game. He's a dynamic player. He's a game changer."
Ryans explained the Texans expectations for Chubb over the next couple days.
"The most important thing right now is for Nick to just get acclimated to how we do things," Ryans said. "So, we're just easing him in. We'll see how far he gets. We'll come back for training camp ready to go."
Quarterback C.J. Stroud was also among those excited to see Chubb in a Texans uniform. He's long been a fan, dating back to Chubb's days as a Georgia Bulldog.
"I met him today for the first time and I told him, man, I've been respecting his game since he was in college," Stroud said. "I think he's a great back, and I think he'll do some great things for us. I'm excited to have him as a teammate. I actually didn't recognize him when I walked in. He's very quiet, so I was like, 'Dang, what's up, Nick?' I kind of got nervous because he been a baller since I've been a kid. So, I'm very excited to have him."
Chubb wore a Texans jersey with the number 21 on it.
Stroud Slings it
Stroud was on the field as well Tuesday, and according to Ryans, he looked "pretty fine" throwing passes to his teammates. The third-year signal-caller had not thrown any passes during OTAs, and said he felt a "little rusty", but was glad to be practicing with his teammates.
"I'm very grateful to be back out on the field," Stroud said. "I'm very excited to be back, but just iron sharpen iron, trying to talk a little smack, but it was great."
He described some of what he focused on since the season ended in mid-January.
"I've been working really hard on getting my body right, losing body fat, trying to be faster, stronger," Stroud said. "It went really well, but there's always risk and reward."
Higgins improvement
He and the rest of the rookies haven't been Texans for long, but wide receiver Jayden Higgins has improved in a short amount of time. The second-rounder from Iowa State made some nifty catches on Tuesday, and Stroud thought he "looked great" at practice. For Ryans, the progress from Higgins and the rest of the rookies has been noticeable.
"It's been really exciting to see Jayden's growth process in the short amount of time that he's been here," Ryans said. "I've seen a guy who's steadily got better every single week. You've seen him make even more plays. Seeing him today, this is the most plays that he's made."
Ryans emphasized the importance of getting contributions from everyone on the squad, including first-year players.
"In our last week of camp, to see a rookie who's come in and showing right now that he could be an impact player for us, I think it means a lot," Ryans said. "We saw it, as coaches, watching this film from the college game. But, I think it just means a lot to the entire team, the players, defensive players, other offensive players, actually seeing him thrive in practice. Because I truly believe if you take practice the right way, deliberately and you work at it, then it'll show up in the games."
Ryans, Higgins and the Texans will work again on Wednesday.
