STOOTS ON TEXANS

11 observations you must know about from Houston Texans final offseason workout

11 observations you must know about from Houston Texans final offseason workout
Davis Mills was a bright spot for Houston. Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans had their last official workout before the summer break. Here are 11 observations from the practice.

1. The final day of workouts for the offseason possessed the best throws from Davis Mills of the open practices. Mills was crisp and showcased touch, power, and accuracy. Mills is by far the best quarterback in camp.

2. The highlight of the day was a strike down the middle of the field by Mills to an outstretched Chris Conley. The reception was fantastic from Conley and the ball from Mills was only where his wideout could catch it. The catch was about a 50-yard play.

3. Mills and Nico Collins have good chemistry. There was again a front-of-the-endzone touchdown catch from Collins today. Collins showcased body control and hands on the catch as he took it to the ground for a score.


4. Brandin Cooks is a tough cover for the defense. Steven Nelson didn't have a chance of stopping Cooks in the red zone. There was a sideline connection to gain a chunk of yards later in practice. Cooks should be in line for similar numbers to last year, but maybe with more efficiency if the other pass catchers can step up.

5. Pharaoh Brown shook loose in a red zone rep for a score. The big-bodied tight end hauled in a strike from Mills for a score. The tight end position is wide open for all contributors to step up and take over spots for the team.

6. A few hiccups for the running backs today. Marlon Mack had a drop on an easy pass. Rex Burkhead fumbled the ball on an inside toss from Davis Mills. It was a so-so day from a running back perspective.

7. Ross Blacklock made a big play on a rushing play that would have resulted in a huge loss for the offense. There is a lot of competition along the defensive line and that could be a tough spot to cut down in training camp.

8. Speaking of the defensive line, there were a couple of wins for those guys today. Laremy Tunsil saw on a couple of plays the reason why Jerry Hughes has been in the NFL for so long. Hughes won a rep that would have resulted in a crushing blow on a quarterback in a live rep.

9. Kenyon Green did a bit more than he had in previous open workouts. Derek Stingley did a bit less. Stingley has yet to widely participate in what coaches call "competitive" reps such as 1-on-1, 7-on-7, and team situations.

10. I hope I don't have to talk about him, well, ever, but the Texans might have a top-five player at one position. Punter Cameron Johnston can BOOM the ball. He spends time on a side field trying out new types of punts. It is remarkable to watch. That hopefully is the last punt update of the 2022 season.

11. This concludes the offseason portion for the Texans. The team now has a break of about six weeks until training camp begins in late July, and thus the 2022 season really begins. The current win projection for the Texans at most sportsbooks is 4.5 wins.

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That's five straight losses for Houston. Composite Getty Image.

Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a tiebreaking two-run homer for his first major league hit, and the Chicago Cubs swept the Houston Astros with a 3-1 victory on Thursday.

Nico Hoerner had three hits and Mike Tauchman went 1 for 1 with three walks as Chicago won for the fourth time in five games. Hayden Wesneski (2-0) pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings for the win in relief of Javier Assad.

Houston has lost a season-high five straight and eight of nine overall. At 7-19, it is off to its worst 26-game start since it was 6-20 in 1969.

First-year manager Joe Espada was ejected by plate umpire Jansen Visconti in the top of ninth.

Crow-Armstrong was recalled from Triple-A Iowa when Cody Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with two fractured ribs. The 22-year-old outfielder, who is considered one of the team’s top prospects, made his big league debut last year and went 0 for 14 while appearing in 13 games.

He picked a perfect time for his first major league hit.

Houston had a 1-0 lead before Dansby Swanson scampered home on a fielder’s choice grounder for Miguel Amaya in the sixth.

Espada then replaced Rafael Montero with Bryan Abreu, who threw a wild pitch with Crow-Armstrong trying to sacrifice Amaya to second. Crow-Armstrong then drove his next pitch deep to right, delighting the crowd of 29,876 at Wrigley Field.

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