Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien is a big believer that 2020 is a veteran’s type of season. With no offseason programs, preseason games, coaches aren’t going to entrust their fortunes with players with a year or less under their belts.
Nevertheless, there have been some youngsters who have caught O’Brien’s attention, and he mentioned them in his presser after the Texans’ scrimmage Thursday night.
“I think a lot of guys have really performed well in a situation where they haven’t had an offseason and they’ve had to just really concentrate in training camp,” said O’Brien. “We’ve got a ways to go, like I said before, but I think some guys are really trying to get better.”
1. CB John Reid
O’Brien mentioned that the former Penn State cornerback “has had a good camp.” Known for his maturity, Reid has taken to the Texans’ system and seeks to provide support at cornerback as both an inside and outside guy. The position is quite competitive with Bradley Roby, Vernon Hargreaves, Gareon Conley, Lonnie Johnson, and even Keion Crossen battling it out for increase playing time.
2. DT Ross Blacklock
When O’Brien mentioned that Blacklock was also having a good camp, the coach said Blacklock had, “a good camp for rookies.”
Going back to John Reid, if Blacklock is having a good camp among the rookies, then what kind of camp is Reid, also a rookie, having?
Nevertheless, the second-round defensive tackle from TCU is catching O’Brien’s eye when it comes to quick evaluations. The competition Blacklock faces at defensive tackle includes veterans such as P.J. Hall and youngsters like Albert Huggins.
3. DE Charles Omenihu
Omenihu was considered a steal in Round 5 of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he was a fascinating rookie with 3.0 sacks, including two forced fumbles. His strip-sack of Patrick Mahomes in Week 6 helped the Texans beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-24 at Arrowhead Stadium.
The pass rush was down for Houston last season, mostly because defensive end J.J. Watt was injured. However, another element was Houston simply had younger edge defenders to rely on in Omenihu. With a full season of experience, the former Texas Longhorn could be a contributing factor in the Texans’ return to pass rushing dominance.
