The last solo work before the Lions get to town
11 observations from Texans training camp for Aug. 12
Aug 12, 2019, 12:28 pm
The last solo work before the Lions get to town
@EdClarke03/Eddie Clarke
Jordan Thomas made his return to the field today after missing quite a few dates with an injury. He looked a little rusty but he was athletic in a near one-handed grab in the end zone. He has some catching up to do. He's clearly behind Jordan Akins and Darren Fells has situations where he is more useful.
Good thing the Texans have a quarterback that can move. Watson was running for his life on a couple of plays today. His ability to throw and move is fantastic and he is making better decisions on when to take off. It will be interesting to see if he can translate this to the regular season. If so some of the concerns about his injuries can go away.
Seantrell Henderson had more wins over J.J. Watt than I have ever seen in camp. Henderson fought Watt to a tie a few times and held up the Texans excellent pass rusher a couple of times. I feel much better about Henderson than most members of the line. I, of course, was high on him before last season too. The only concern here is health.
Matt Kalil seemingly got a veteran day off on Monday for the Texans. With him out Roderick Johnson and Julién Davenport worked the majority of time at left tackle in Kalil's absence. If either player stood out there is a chance Kalil would be out of a job. They have a long way to go before they could supplant Kalil. This is a big week for Kalil to keep his spot at left tackle.
DeAndre Carter is a breath of fresh air. He can do almost everything Keke Coutee can do from the slot and won more than a few reps today. There was a play where he absolutely worked the defensive back and quarterback Jordan Ta'amu missed him much to the chagrin of some coaches who pointed out Carter's win.
Tyron Johnson got some work in the return game and one of the biggest things is he doesn't miss reps. Luck has been on Johnson's side with health and he's been getting plenty of good work in. He had an amazing catch today with Deante Burton in coverage. He used his off hand to keep Burton at bay and came down with a very nice catch with Burton right there.
Zach Fulton is playing center while Nick Martin and Greg Mancz deal with injuries. Fulton filled in at center in 2017 for the Chiefs. I wouldn't be shocked if he is actually the best center on the team. With him at center there has been plenty of work for Max Scharping at guard and the rookie has been paying off on those opportunities.
Fullback Cullen Gillaspia had a catch today that was again impressive in his ability to do those things. It looked like it was out of his reach but he was able to haul it in and beat his man to the front of the end zone for a touchdown. His ability to haul in passes has impressed me and while I was high on that aspect of his game he's got more potential there than I realized.
Johnnie Dixon hasn't had a bad camp but by comparison to others he hasn't stood out. He has a lot of physical gifts and his quickness is certainly an asset. He had a probable fumble in a drill today that got the defense excited. There have been others who have shined brighter but I think there's something there, maybe just not for the Texans.
Tyron Johnson coming down with the ball in coverage or Cullen Gillaspia's fingertip snag.
"I'm still having fun."
Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel who has no plans of slowing down approaching his 37th season in the NFL. Crennel has a tall task this season but hopefully his experience can cover up some of the potential shortcomings on the team. Also, I imagine if the defense didn't look good this season he would be coaching year 38 in the NFL somewhere else.
Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings, Isaac Paredes homered twice, and the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 after a lengthy rain delay on Thursday night.
THAT'S AN ALL STAR CALIBER HOMER.#BuiltForThis x https://t.co/W06pfHQMR1 pic.twitter.com/V9cLeU1WNf
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 6, 2025
Valdez (6-4) won his fifth straight decision by limiting the Pirates to two runs on five hits with three walks and a season-high 11 strikeouts after waiting out the delay that pushed the start of the game back 3 hours and 22 minutes. The left-hander is now 5-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his last six starts.
Paredes hit his 13th homer of the season leading off the fourth against Mitch Keller (1-8). His 14th, a two-run shot in the ninth, put the game away.
ISAAC MY GOODNESS! #VoteParedes x https://t.co/W06pfHQMR1 pic.twitter.com/OyjOZ1IuFu
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 6, 2025
Jeremy Peña added three hits and drove in a run for the Astros. The shortstop is batting .361 since moving to the leadoff spot on April 27.
Jake Melton, who made his major league debut last weekend against Tampa Bay, had two hits, including a two-run single against Keller in the fourth.
Keller had been pitching well despite receiving the lowest run support in the majors. The right-hander wasn't quite as crisp against the Astros, giving up six runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings as his ERA crept up to 4.19.
Jared Triolo had two hits and scored twice for the Pirates, who have dropped four of six.
The Pirates were down two and had runners on the corners with two outs in the fifth when Valdez fanned Andrew McCutchen on a curveball.
9 — the number of runs Pittsburgh has scored in Keller's last starts.
Astros: head to Cleveland for a three-game weekend series starting Friday when Colton Gordon (0-1, 5.95 ERA) faces Cleveland's Logan Allen (3-3, 4.22).
Pirates: welcome Philadelphia for a three-game set beginning Friday. Bailey Falter, who posted a 0.76 ERA across six starts in May, starts the opener for Pittsburgh.