Blake Fisher is not having a good training camp. He's arguably the worst-performing player on offense right now if not all of the Houston Texans. If all things were even, likely, he wouldn't make the team. After all, you can't play as poorly as he has and expect to earn one of four or five offensive tackle spots on the team.
Fisher isn't going to be, and all thanks to my least favorite concept in sports; "potential". Fisher is a second-round pick, and so he'll be given time that others may not get. He's also in an advantageous situation because the offensive line is a mess. Especially when Laremy Tunsi isn't on the field. So Fisher will get more shots than others because of this. None of this is to say Fisher can't get better. He has the physical tools, it's now all about making it work with his intellectual tools.
So Fisher can get better. All of these rookies can get better, but the problem arises when we look at where and when these players were drafted and what position they played. If a rookie is playing poorly or isn't playing as well as others at his position, he's going to be a guy who could be cut.
We've already seen this with the Texans cutting LaDarius Henderson. In this league, no one is truly safe, and we think these three rookies could run the risk of not making the 53-man roster.
Jamal Hill
The issue with Jamal Hill is that he's not only not playing well but he's not even playing as well as the other rookie linebackers on the team; Max Tooley and Tarique Barnes. Tooley and Barnes went undrafted, with Tooley out of BYU and Barnes from Illinois. Hill, the Oregon Duck byproduct, has failed to outplay his fellow rookies. Considering Tooley has been the standout of the three, and even he isn't likely to make the team at this point, why would anyone think Hill should? If any of the three rookies make the team, it's Tooley.
Solomon Byrd
You really can't ask for more from a seventh-round pick, who's competing with two Pro Bowler caliber players. It's a shame that Solomon Byrd makes the list but a seventh-round pick at the deepest position on the team is just a prime candidate to be cut. If he is cut, however, Byrd should make the practice squad.
Jawhar Jordan
The 25-year-old rookie running back isn't a top pick to make the team. His age, combined with his time in the league, is a factor, sure. So is the fact that he's not out-performing anyone. British Brooks and J.J. Taylor are looking better and better each week, and with guys like Joe Mixon and more and more Cam Akers looking like locks for the team, the only way Jordan makes the team is if Dameon Pierce or Akers is cut or traded.
