TEXANS CAMP REPORT
Cody Stoots: 11 observations from Texans training camp for Mon., Aug. 20
Cody Stoots
Aug 20, 2018, 4:27 pm
Jadeveon Clowney returned to practice on Monday. Houston Texans/Facebook
1. Jadeveon Clowney made his return to a full practice for the Texans as they practiced in the bubble today and not outside. He had been working back after a knee had kept him from being a full participant. Bill O'Brien mentioned he had been working and ramping up to this point and thought he looked good. Clowney said he is 100 percent and hopes he gets to play in the preseason.
2. Clowney is a monster out there. His speed is just amazing for a man of his size and the Texans tackles didn't have a chance against him today. There was one play where he almost caught Deshaun Watson's pass in the backfield. Let me say that again, Clowney was behind the line of scrimmage and maybe could have made a play on a Watson pass before it left the quarterbacks hand.
3. Martinas Rankin is off the physically unable to perform list and practicing for the Texans. The second third-round selection looked good in his camp debut and is headed towards factoring into the tackle situation. With him getting the late start, Rankin may not be able to crack the starting lineup. He just doesn't have the experience regardless of his success to supplant Seantrell Henderson at right tackle or Julién Davenport at left tackle. Rankin absolutely can end up as the swing tackle for the team though, and will be competing with Kendall Lamm for the swing tackle spot.
4. Kevin Johnson did not practice today as he is still dealing with his concussion from Saturday's game. Bill O'Brien mentioned he watched a lot of the practice though. When asked if the team is exploring options O'Brien said that is something they look at for the team. The free agent pool isn't exactly deep at this point, and veterans looking for one last run will know Johnson isn't going to be out too long. A recognizable name could be tough to lure for the Texans.
5. Sammie Coates also missed practice due to his concussion from Saturday's win over the 49ers. Coates was well on his way to making the roster, and depending on how long he is out, it could affect what his status with the team is when the 53-man roster gets set. If Coates gets healthy and they handle him with kid gloves, it could mean he is safe for the final roster. Chris Thompson and rookie Keke Coutee also remain out.
6. Healthy players are available to play on Saturday against the Rams in Los Angeles according to Bill O'Brien. Though he was non-committal, that does include the possibility J.J. Watt and Clowney play against the Rams. O'Brien again referenced the number of reps from last week against the 49ers in joint practices when assessing Watt's camp so far, and he mentioned Watt was in for a lot of those reps. It seems unlikely, even with Watt saying he'd like to get some preseason game reps, the Texans would risk injury in a game with opening week drawing closer.
7. Vyncint Smith carried over some momentum from his game-winning catch on Saturday snagging some great passes on Monday. Smith caught a laser in a bunch of traffic and withstood contact to hold onto the ball. He also displayed some toe-tapping technique in the end zone. He has an opportunity with Coates down to take advantage of some extra reps in practice.
8. DeAndre Hopkins is ready for the regular season and has been ready for a while now. Despite being one of the best in the game there are still little tweaks has made to his game and he doesn't loaf or take reps off. He caught a sideline dart from Watson after a quick move beat the defender. He had a fun rep against Aaron Colvin where only Hopkins and maybe three other pass catchers could've made a play. Hopkins also caught a ball behind his back where he tracked where the ball was headed, and then turned away and caught the ball behind him.
9. Justin Reid will need to get used to taking on tight ends. He struggled a little early last week against the 49ers but then won some reps in the second practice and game against the San Francisco pass catcher. Today he earned a matchup with Ryan Griffin and though he got the "win" in the rep defending Griffin. It was a questionable play that might have drawn a flag in today's NFL. Griffin didn't protest too much, but there were of course jeers from the offense and cheers from the defense at the end of the rep. No laundry on the field, no penalty. Rams tight end Gerald Everett and Reid is a matchup I hope we all get to watch Saturday.
10. Tyrann Mathieu continues to impress. He ended up matched up on DeAndre Hopkins and despite the play going for a good amount of time, Mathieu earned a rare pass breakup on Hopkins. Later he matched up with rookie Jordan Akins and showed off his impressive hops challenging Akins for a high pass. Mathieu is as athletic as you would hope him to be, and his anticipation and quick diagnosis are lethal to offenses. Jadveon Clowney pepped up and got more excited behind the microphone when he talked about how the secondary looked.
11. Back to Jadveon Clowney as he returned to the field his status off the field lingers with the Texans. Clowney is in the option year of his rookie contract and scheduled to make $12.3 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent. Fellow 2014 draft class members Jake Matthews, Mike Evans, Taylor Lewan, and Zach Martin all have big money extensions done with their team. Clowney said he doesn't pay attention to his contract, and said it is all about winning football games and winning the Super Bowl. When asked if he wanted to stay in Houston Clowney simply responded "Yeah, I do. I like Houston."
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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