Good morning. The Texans are off for the first time since Saturday. They'll get back to it tomorrow morning at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
But so much has happened the last few days. Our guy John Harris broke down what he saw on Tuesday with the Harris Hits.
One guy who's been featured prominently in those Harris Hits over the last week has been "The Terminator", Will Anderson, Jr. The third overall pick in the NFL Draft this year has set a tone on and off the field and is turning heads all throughout the squad. But for second-year linebacker Christian Harris, his old Alabama teammate is still the same guy as freshman year.
Another defensive player who's stood out through the first week of camp has been linebacker Blake Cashman. He was a baller last year on special teams, and this year he's playing in a familiar offense. Remember: in March of 2022, Houston traded a 2023 sixth round pick to the Jets for Cashman. He played a season in New York in the Robert Saleh defense that's very similar to what DeMeco Ryans and company are now running here. I had a fun conversation about some off-field stuff with Cashman. The podcast is below.
My pal Deepi Sidhu had a nice 1-on-1 with defensive lineman Jonathan Greenard. It'll be fun to see what he does this season with Anderson, Jerry Hughes and the rest of this defensive front.
Elsewhere in Houston, welcome back to town, Justin Verlander. The Astros pulled off the bombshell trade and as a lifelong fan, I love it. He was money during his time here, and I can't wait to see what he does in August, September and October. He's also no stranger to NRG Stadium.
On top of that, Framber Valdez capped off the Astros' big day with a no-hitter against the Guardians. Houston won, 2-0, and Valdez became the first lefty to throw a no-hitter in franchise history.
Speaking of no-hitters, let's end with a happy memory of Mike Scott's from 1986.
