A veteran wide receiver will be fighting for his NFL job during the Texans training camp.
By many accounts, the Houston Texans are a team on the rise. With the emergence of C.J. Stroud as a standout NFL quarterback, the Texans have elevated themselves into the elite-team conversation for 2024. And the strong roster means some name players will be cut candidates ahead of NFL training camp.
The biggest name is wide receiver Robert Woods. He’s 32 years old, but still considered a viable NFL threat. But his contract and a crowded receiver room will likely send him looking for employment in a place other than Houston this season.
Joining Woods on a list no NFL player wants to occupy are cornerback Jeff Okudah and defensive lineman Kurt Hinish.
Texans WR Robert Woods a victim of numbers game
For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, a veteran like Woods could make a difference. Woods is a valuable guy to have when inevitable injuries crop up. Plug-and-play guys in the NFL can be difference-makers in the playoff stretch.
Houston currently has 12 receivers listed on its depth chart. Six of those dudes won’t be around when the 53-man roster is settled on Aug. 27. And Woods is standing a little too close to the cut cliff for his comfort.
The Texans could save almost $5 million in cap space while leaving behind $4.75 million in dead money. But there are other issues.
When the Texans brought in star wideout Stefon Diggs, it gave them one of the best trios in the NFL. Nico Collins has proven to be a league standout and Tank Dell was headed in the same direction before getting injured last year. Also in the mix are Noah Brown and John Metchie III.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio told yahoo.com that players could be fighting for scraps and crumbs of scraps when it comes to targets and playing time.
“That room is going to be really competitive,” Caserio said. “We’re probably going to have to move on from some players who are going to be playing other places, but we’ll try to keep as many good players as we can here.”
Making a strength stronger is usually a good idea in the NFL, where the season’s wear and tear can break down the best of positions.
“Philosophically, what DeMeco and I have tried to do is build as competitive and deep a roster as possible,” Caserio said. “We understand there are going to be challenges we face during the course of a season. This league is so competitive … but our job is to try to build as good a team as we possibly can—give ourselves an opportunity to compete against a lot of good teams, lot of good coaches.”
Could Woods sneak past John Metchie III onto the roster?
Metchie III is part of the cut conversation along with Woods. But his potential may save him. Drafted No. 44 overall in 2022, the 23-year-old still holds the promise of his tremendous finish at the University of Alabama. During his final two seasons, he racked up 2,081 yards and 14 touchdowns while playing a key role on a team that reached two CFP National Championship games.
However, Metchie missed his rookie season after being diagnosed with leukemia, and played sporadically in 2023. But factoring in the non-football-injury slow start, maybe Metchie breaks loose this year.
And while the logic could read that Metchie is the odd man out because he hasn’t produced, the Texans have the luxury of keeping him around because of their incredible depth at the position. Give him time to develop while the stars do their thing. And they wouldn't have to deal with the potential of a pouting veteran who can’t crack the lineup.
Texans CB Jeff Okudah may be running out of roster time
It’s easy to do in many years, but it’s cringe worth to look back at the 2020 NFL Draft and see who the Detroit Lions could have selected instead of Jeff Okudah: Justin Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa, CeeDee Lamb, and yes, Justin Jefferson.
Shudder.
Just four years later, Okudah is on the verge of becoming a roster-cut victim. The Texans grabbed him as a free agent, signing him to a one-year, $4.75 million contract. And he’s listed, currently, as the Texans’ starter at cornerback.
But Houston apparently doesn’t have him firmly in the 2024 plans. He will have to show something, perhaps in a major way, during training camp to make the 53-man roster. But reports through minicamps and OTAs haven’t been favorable.
Need evidence? How about this from late May, where he couldn’t keep up with John Metchie.
Since the realization he may be cut hasn’t lit a fire under Okudah, it appears he may have reached the end of his NFL rope.
DT Kurt Hinish buried on the depth chart
There’s a lot to like about the front end of the Texans’ defense. The team boosted its presence in the offseason and that doesn’t bode well for Hinish, a 6-2, 300-pound third-year player.
Hinish saw plenty of playing time in his first two years with the Texans, appearing in 32 of 34 games with modest results. He finished the year ranked No. 121 out of 130 on the Pro Football Focus lineman list.
The problem for Hinish came in the form of not being able to make an impact against the run. And with Texans having Denico Autry, Foley Fatukasi, Tim Settle, and Mario Edwards Jr. in front of him, it’s hard to see a pathway to a roster spot.
