STOOTS ON TEXANS

Houston Texans training camp: 11 observations you need to know about from Day 4

Houston Texans training camp: 11 observations you need to know about from Day 4
Nico Collins looks like the real deal. Composite image by Brandon Strange.
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The Houston Texans had a lovely day on offense in their second workout in pads. Here are 11 observations from the practice.

1. Davis Mills was phenomenal today. There wasn’t anything spectacular to report from an eye-popping play standpoint, but he dissected the defense. His red zone success last season seems to be even better and here to stay this year.

2. Davis Mills showcased decision-making speed, but combined it with bigger plays today. Previously, Mills had been making quick decisions and getting the ball to short routes for small gains. Today, he was whipping the ball around the field for big chunks.

3. Davis Mills playing last year in some chaotic situations seems to help him this year. Even when the offensive line has a breakdown, his mobility in the pocket is apparent. He also has a better internal clock, it feels like, so some of those punishing hits will maybe disappear.

4. Nico Collins and Davis Mills have wonderful chemistry. Mills found Collins on a deep pass where Collins got vertical on cornerback Steven Nelson. With Nelson being very physical, Collins hauled in the pass for a score. It seems almost daily Collins showcases his physical gifts and how he uses them to beat defenders.

5. Speaking of physical gifts, Pharaoh Brown uses his plenty. Lovie Smith called Brown the team’s starting tight end after practice. He is a bully against defenders, and his athleticism is apparent as he gets loose in the middle of the field. He has a chance to be a weapon for this team.

6. Brevin Jordan has had his moments too. He and Brown will make for a fearsome red zone duo. There will be times each will play next to the other, providing a matchup nightmare for most teams. Jordan hauled in some scores today too.

7. Rookie offensive guard Kenyon Green ran with the first team today. He opened a big hole on one play that allowed Marlon Mack to dart through for a big run. He is physical and had a few solid victories on Tuesday. Lovie Smith said he is having “normal rookie progression” so far.

8. Let’s keep with the offensive rookie theme, shall we? I like what Dameon Pierce has showcased in camp so far. He hasn’t “won” the job, but he’s forced himself to be a factor. Pierce hauled in a screen in traffic today and darted up the field for a big gain. He should be a constant option for Pep Hamilton’s offense.

9. Rookie safety Jalen Pitre had a really nice moment and a really ugly moment today. Pitre read a play and darted in front of a tight end, earning himself a pass breakup but dropping an interception. Pitre’s bad moment happened when in a rushing play, Rex Burkhead juked him out of his shoes for a gain. Pitre should be on the field a lot, but there is plenty of growth needed.

10. Christian Harris is fast. Duh, you knew that from his pre-draft workout. But he’s football fast and his recognition is very solid. Harris darted in to stymie a rushing play that he anticipated and ran past the blocking to ruin the play. He played with the first team at times, as Lovie Smith noted after practice. There is a chance he will play quite a bit for this team.

11. If the Texans played a game tomorrow, I would start Rasheem Green at defensive end. Green is frequently near the ball and seems to be quite the annoyance for the offensive line. He had a play today where he had a sack if it was a live rep. He is constantly near the football on rushing plays. He’s been a nice free agent find.

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Gerrit Cole and Hunter Brown share the same agent now. Composite Getty Image.

There's no denying that this year's World Series champs (LA Dodgers) have some serious firepower on their roster. And one of the ways they were able to assemble such a talented team involved players like Shohei Ohtani being willing to differ their money.

Just this week, there was some speculation that the Yankees could do something similar when restructuring Gerrit Cole's contract, that would allow them more flexibility in the present.

The Yankees ended up calling Cole's bluff about opting out, and no adjustment was made to the contract.

But this situation got us thinking, would the Astros consider a tactic like this to maximize the roster? At this point, it doesn't seem all that likely. Just last year, the team handed out a $95 million contract to Josh Hader, without any differed money.

The other factor that also has to come into play is the tax threshold. The organization would have to give the okay to go over it again in order to make a splash signing this offseason. Which unfortunately does not sound like the plan right now when listening to GM Dana Brown at the Winter Meetings.

Astros pitcher hires a new agent

Now that MLB free agency is in full swing, most of the attention moving forward will be focused on players like Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, and Juan Soto.

But for Astros fans, there might be someone else to keep an eye on this offseason and next. Starting pitcher Hunter Brown quietly hired super agent Scott Boras recently.

With Brown still another season away from his first year of arbitration, he should be with the Astros for the foreseeable future.

However, the hiring of Boras does raise some interesting questions. Why make the move now? Certainly, Brown could use some more cash, as he's set to make less than a million in 2025.

Perhaps Brown wants to land some HEB commercials to fatten his wallet. And if Bregman does leave the team in free agency, a spot will open up for another player, in theory. And three of the players in the HEB ads are represented by Boras (Jose Altuve, Lance McCullers Jr. and Bregman).

Jeremy Pena has been stacking cash from Taquerias Arandas for several years now, maybe Brown would like an opportunity to do an endorsement similar to that.

I say all this half kidding, but Brown does look like the future ace of this staff, and I'm sure there are plenty of advertisers that would have interest in Hunter.

There is another element that could have initiated the hiring of Boras. Would Brown be willing to sign an extension early with the Astros similar to the deal the team made with Cristian Javier?

Their situations are actually pretty comparable, except Javier was one year further into his career (3 years of MLB service time) and eligible for arbitration before agreeing to the extension.

If Brown was heading into arbitration this offseason, it wouldn't be surprising at all for the Astros to be considering a long-term deal with him that buys up all his arbitration years. The 'Stros love these types of contract extensions. We've seen them do it with Bregman, the aforementioned Javier, and others.

One of the main differences though between Brown and Javier is their rookie year numbers. Brown only pitched 20.1 innings in his first season (2022). While Javier pitched 54.1 innings his rookie year. However, his rookie season was in 2020, so Javier completed a full year of service time despite the shortened season. Whereas Brown didn't get called up until September 2022.

Another difference is performance. Javier never posted an ERA over 3.55 in his first three seasons. As opposed to Brown, who had a disastrous year in 2023. He made 29 starts, recording an ERA over 5.

It wasn't until May of 2024 that Brown started using his two-seam fastball with great success and becoming one of the most dominant pitchers in the American League.

The Astros had a bigger sample size to judge Javier. However, if Brown has another quality season in 2025, Houston and Brown should definitely be having conversations about an extension. Especially with Framber Valdez being in the final year of his contract in 2025. Hunter could be the unquestioned ace one year from now.

Still, though, there are some concerns with handing out these early extensions. For example, if the Astros had it to do over again, would they still extend Javier?

After receiving his extension before the 2023 season, he went on to post the highest ERA of his career (4.56), and then blew out his elbow in May 2024.

And if we're going by Luis Garcia's recovery timeline from Tommy John surgery, we may not see Javier pitch at all in 2025.

So even with a sample size of three terrific seasons, the Javier extension looks like a miss with the benefit of hindsight. It will be interesting to see if that deal impacts Dana Brown's decision-making going forward.

Especially since Javier was Dana's first big contract extension as the Astros GM.

Be sure to watch the video as we discuss how the Astros can get the most out of their roster, the pros and cons of signing Hunter Brown early, and much more!

*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon. Find all via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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