STOOTS ON TEXANS
11 observations you need to know about from Houston Texans minicamp
Jun 14, 2022, 2:03 pm
Laremy Tunsil finally made an appearance. Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images.
The Houston Texans had one of their last official workouts before the summer break on Tuesday. Here are 11 observations from the practice.
1. Laremy Tunsil made his return to the team after missing the optional team activities this offseason. Tunsil, who had his contract reworked this offseason, was the only player to not workout ahead of mandatory reporting. His attendance gave the Texans 100 percent reporting for mandatory workouts.
2. I have been critical of Tunsil's choice to be absent from workouts this offseason. There is a new offensive system, new offensive line coaches, and a couple of new faces in new places along the offensive line. That being said, any concern about Tunsil physically was put to bed almost immediately. He looks to be in fantastic shape, appearing leaner than I remember. There were a few instances where Tunsil was on the move blocking, and he looked smooth. Tunsil clearly put in a lot of work even though he wasn't working out with the team. Davis Mills praised his knowledge of the playbook.
3. Watching the battle between the two tackles, Tunsil and Tytus Howard, and the edge rushers was fun. The tackles had more wins, but there were some hard reps between Jerry Hughes and Tytus Howard. Obo Okoronkwo won a hard rep against Tunsil forcing the quarterback off his spot.
4. Derek Stingley Jr. practiced a little more than he did in the previous open workouts. He did more walkthroughs and some position drills. He still is not participating in 1-on-1, 7-on-7, or team drills.
5. The concern for Stingley, Kenyon Green, and even John Metchie III dissipated post-practice. Lovie Smith said he expects Stingley and Green to be "full speed ready to go" for training camp, which starts next month. All of the players coming back from injury are where the Texans expected them to be, even Metchie. Smith said the team should be pretty close to 100 percent.
6. Nico Collins was one of the highlights of this workout. Collins and quarterback Davis Mills connected on a fun red zone score where Collins beat his man quick off the line and Mills lasered in a low and away throw to Collins. Touchdown. Collins seems to have added some muscle to his frame ahead of his second year in the NFL.
7. Until John Metchie is back, all the rest of the wideout spots are a battle. Chris Moore was here last year and had a nice corner catch for a score in drills. Phillip Dorsett could see some time on the field with Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins. Nobody has really separated themselves from the top two wideouts though.
8. The Texans will run the ball better this season. They really can't get worse, let's be honest. Expect to see a few runs behind the fullback, which Lovie Smith decreed would have a spot in the offense. The best back from the limited time we have been able to see workouts has been Marlon Mack, but Rex Burkhead shouldn't be discounted as a factor to start and play a lot.
9. Dameon Pierce had a two-play stretch where you saw his rookie status and potential flash. In the first play, Pierce caught the ball out of the backfield with a little effort and darted inside right to where defenders were waiting. He had the sideline and probably could've scored. In the very next play, he showed great vision and burst as he danced through an opening for a touchdown. There are plenty of good plays, but still some teachable moments.
10. Tavierre Thomas had a solid finish to his season last year and has flown under the radar as one of the better slot corners in the NFL. Thomas intercepted Kyle Allen for a pick six in practice.
11. The Texans have long been over-committed to kicker Kaʻimi Fairbairn. The end of a two-minute drill saw Fairbairn miss a field goal. The organization would do well to push the veteran kicker, who has not lived up to his contract extension.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.