For those traveling to NRG Stadium on Saturday for the Houston Texans preseason opener, you’ll be graced with the same treatment as the Pittsburgh Steelers last Friday.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed that the starters on both sides will play against the New York Giants. It’ll mark the first newcomers like Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair take the field in front of their new fans.
When asked about rep count, Ryans said he wasn’t sure how long starters would play, though last season’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins might be a baseline for playing time. C. J. Stroud, albeit a rookie in his second appearance, played the entire first half before being benched for a combination of Davis Mills and Case Keenum.
Stroud doesn’t need the reps after guiding Houston to its first division title in four years, but he could play more than two series. Perhaps he and most starters play a quarter before turning it over to the second-stringers.
Then again, several starters — including Kenyon Green and Juice Scruggs — played deep into the second quarter last week during Houston’s 20-12 win over Pittsburgh. It could be more of the same, or perhaps both have shown enough to sit out when Stroud and the others are pulled.
“We’ll see how the game goes,” Ryans said Thursday.
Stroud, Diggs and Hunter will be making their home debut, but others will see the field for the first time this season barring a change of heart at the last second. Pro Bowl offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and running back Joe Mixon returned to practice on Sunday and haven’t missed a day since.
They likely will see action, even if it’s limited.
The same goes for rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who missed the first two preseason games due to an injury. He’s already locked down the starting cornerback spot opposite Derek Stingley Jr., but Ryans likes his starters to see some preseason reps.
For Lassiter, the No. 42 overall pick, he’ll need to see playing just to get acclimated to NFL contact from an opponent that doesn’t wear the same jersey. He could play past the rest of the starters to make up for lost reps.
Don’t expect to see several defensive names, including defensive end Will Anderson Jr., linebacker Christian Harris and edge rusher Denico Autry.
Anderson hasn’t practiced in over two weeks. Harris returned on Sunday but left midway through practice due to the same injury.
Autry, the multi-purpose defensive lineman who signed a two-year deal in the offseason, is suspended for the first six games of the season.
Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT.
