Post-minicamp questions

ith a horn and instructions from coach Bill O’Brien on Wednesday, the Texans’ final minicamp practice was halted, bringing an official end to their offseason activities. • Since the Texans’ AFC divisional-round playoff loss to the New England Patriots, a lot has changed. • That includes the trade of disappointing quarterback Brock Osweiler and his bloated $72 million contract to the Cleveland Browns, the installation of Tom Savage as the new starter, and first-round draft pick Deshaun Watson’s arrival as his understudy. • As the Texans head into the traditionally quietest part of the NFL calendar before they report July 25 for their first team meeting of training camp at the Greenbrier in West Virginia, here’s a look at the 10 biggest questions facing the defending AFC South champions:

WWhat’s going on at quarterback? 1

After years of instability under center, the Texans hope they have created a positive situation heading into this season. Savage has been unspectacular in limited game action and has yet to throw a touchdown pass in an NFL regular-season game. He’s a prototypical big pocket passer with arm talent and knowledge of the system working in his favor. His biggest question marks remain his durability, a lack of ideal mobility, and not making decisions fast enough.

Watson has proved to be a quick study and brings athleticism, confidence, intelligence, accuracy and a lot of intangibles to the table. While O’Brien has reiterated multiple times that Savage is his QB1, he has emphasized that he’ll have to earn it every day to maintain that status. Brandon Weeden provides a solid emergency option if Savage gets hurt and Watson isn’t considered ready to step in.

How is J.J. Watt’s back doing? 2

A three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Watt has made a sound recovery from his second back surgery within the past year to repair a herniated disk. Watt has experienced no setbacks and practiced all spring with no restrictions on his physical activity. The true litmus test for how sound his back is will come during training camp when Watt will be exposed to full-contact drills, which aren’t allowed during offseason practices. Watt has expressed a lot of confidence in his recovery. If he’s back to his vintage form as a disruptive pass rusher and run-stopper, the NFL’s top-ranked defense could actually be even better this season. Having to account for both Watt and Pro Bowl defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is a scenario that offensive coordinators will dread this season.

Where has Duane Brown been? 3

Brown skipped all of the Texans’ organized team activities and a mandatory minicamp because he’s unhappy about his contract, which has two remaining years. Brown is due a non-guaranteed $9.65 million base salary this season, which ranks 11th in cash compensation this year among left tackles. That’s low for the three-time Pro Bowl blocker, considering his impressive comeback from a torn quadriceps tendon last season and all of the lesser tackles’ deals that have trumped his financial status. When Brown signed a six-year, $53.4 million contract, it included a $12.5 million signing bonus with $22.081 million guaranteed. The lengthy deal became outdated with time, and there were no mechanisms such as a hefty roster bonus to force the two sides back to the negotiating table or a decision on his roster status. Brown has been working out in Los Angeles and recently posted a workout video in which he was doing pull-ups. The Texans have made it an unofficial policy not to renegotiate deals with two years left, making rare exceptions for Watt and Andre Johnson. They are unlikely to budge, and Brown isn’t expected to cave at this time. The question is whether Brown will skip training camp, the preseason and, possibly, regular-season games. Potential compromises would be for the Texans to guarantee all or part of Brown’s salary, convert some of the salary into a signing bonus and add more years deals to the deal to spread out the cap impact, or agree to address his contract after the season before the final year of the deal. For now, the impasse continues.

What progress have the young receivers made? 4

The Texans have a proven wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, who, although his statistics took a hit last year during the Osweiler experiment, is regarded as one of the top receivers in the game. He needs more from his supporting cast, though. Will Fuller displayed flashes last season and is one of the fastest players in the league. However, he has a tendency to drop deep throws and has cost the Texans potential touchdowns. Fuller has worked hard on improving his pass-catching fundamentals and at getting stronger. He could help the Texans a lot this season if he develops into an even more dangerous deep threat. The Texans have to get better health and more production out of third wide receiver Braxton Miller, who operates out of the slot. A converted quarterback from Ohio State, Miller looked more explosive and fluid this spring.

Will the offensive line hold up? 5

Besides Brown’s absence, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the offensive line. Without Brown, there is no one qualified to play left tackle on a full-time basis.

Right guard Jeff Allen had a rough first season in Houston after signing a four-year, $28 million contract. He’s lost 21 pounds since last season, when he struggled to adjust to a new position and offense.

Left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo has improved every year but has yet to justify being picked in the second round. His run-blocking is still much better than his pass protection.

Center Nick Martin is expected to provide a technically sound, nasty presence for the interior line after missing his entire rookie season with an ankle injury that required surgery.

The right tackle position is a puzzle. Chris Clark stepped in when Derek Newton tore both patellar tendons, which will also prevent him from playing this season. However, Clark ranked as one of the statistically worst offensive linemen in the NFL in terms of pressures and sacks allowed. He’ll face competition from Kendall Lamm, Breno Giacomini and rookie Julie’n Davenport for the starting job. Lamm is promising but undersized. Davenport has great size and long arms. Giacomini has been only solid at best as a starter with the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks, and he has a history of back problems.

How will the Texans replace A.J. Bouye? 6

The Texans are hopeful that former first-round cornerback Kevin Johnson will stay healthy for the first time in his NFL career and make a strong comeback from his second foot surgery to address a Jones fracture. Johnson didn’t practice during the spring but is expected to be ready for training camp. Johnson was applying tight coverage and was an aggressive tackler before he got hurt last October against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Texans are counting on Johnson after Bouye signed a five-year, $67.4 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bouye was a fast, physical presence in the secondary and was adept at shutting down big, athletic tight ends. Johnson is capable of doing that, but he has to remain in the lineup in his third NFL season.

Secondary coach John Butler was upbeat about Johnson’s health and is optimistic that the system the Texans have will allow them to develop younger corners such as Robert Nelson and Denzel Rice.

How are the rookies looking? 7

In quick-hit fashion, here goes: Watson, drafted 12th overall after the Texans traded up to get him, has looked sharp and figures to be fairly ready whenever the Texans need him to contribute. He still needs to improve at reading defenses. Second-round linebacker Zach Cunningham is instinctive and rangy but needs to work on adding more strength to take on blockers.

Third-round running back D’Onta Foreman is a big, tackle-breaking type with some wiggle in the open field, but he needs to get in better shape.

Davenport, the first of the Texans’ two fourth-round picks, is massive and moves his feet well, but the former Bucknell standout is facing a huge jump in competition from the Patriot League. Fourth-round defensive lineman Carlos Watkins figures to be a valuable rotational player as a rookie. Fifth-round pick Treston Decoud is the biggest cornerback on the roster at 6-3, 210 pounds, but he missed the majority of the spring due to an NFL academic rule.

Seventh-round center Kyle Fuller has good size and technique and is battling for a roster spot.

Is Benardrick McKinney ready for a bigger role? 8

As an inside linebacker, McKinney has rare size and speed. At 6-4, 260 pounds, McKinney has run the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds. He was the only NFL player last season to record at least 100 tackles and five sacks. The Texans use him as a blitzer off the edge and up the middle. He’s an excellent run-stopper. A second-team All-Pro last season, McKinney is working on improving the only hole in his game: shadowing smaller backs in pass coverage. McKinney said he wants to become more of a vocal leader. McKinney could provide an eventual bridge from veteran middle linebacker Brian Cushing, who is entering his ninth NFL season and coming off offseason shoulder surgery.

Who replaces Vince Wilfork, John Simon and Quintin Demps? 9

D.J. Reader proved as a rookie that he was ready to step in for Wilfork, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, at nose tackle. Reader is a stout anchor in the middle of the defensive line who’s versatile enough to line up at end and penetrate the backfield. In some ways, Reader should be an upgrade from Wilfork. As an outside linebacker, Simon gave the Texans a gritty veteran adept at stuffing the run and a decent pass rusher. With Simon now on the Indianapolis Colts, the strongside linebacker job has gone to Brennan Scarlett. An undrafted rookie last season, Scarlett made a good impression on the coaching staff. They like his size and physical style. He’s not experienced in pass coverage but won’t be asked to do that much in the role the Texans envision for him.

Demps led all NFL safeties last season with six interceptions before signing with the Chicago Bears. Replacing him won’t be easy. The Texans are hoping Andre Hal bounces back from a down season in which he was benched briefly. Corey Moore covers a lot of ground and is a sound tackler but doesn’t make a ton of plays on the football. The Texans are waiting for K.J. Dillon to recover fully from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered as a rookie. Dillon is a hard hitter who’s unproven in pass coverage.

Will DeAndre Hopkins cash in this summer? 10

Hopkins’ time has come. The one-time Pro Bowl wide receiver is expected to eventually land a blockbuster contract with the Texans. The only variables are the timing, structure and value. No deal is imminent, but the Texans are expected to reward Hopkins.

The most significant wide receiver deal of this offseason was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown. Brown received a four-year, $68 million deal that included a $19 million signing bonus for an average annual salary of $17 million.

The financial stratosphere for a wide receiver like Hopkins is a rich neighborhood, including upper-echelon deals for the Atlanta Falcons’ Julio Jones (five years, $71.256 million, $12 million signing bonus, $47 million guaranteed), the Dallas Cowboys’ Dez Bryant (five years, $70 million, $20 million signing bonus, $45 million guaranteed) and the Broncos’ Demaryius Thomas (five years, $70 million, $11 million signing bonus, $43.5 million guaranteed).

Hopkins has remained patient and hasn’t made waves about his contract situation since holding out for one day last summer to make a statement about his contract. If a deal can’t be worked out before the start of the regular season — the Texans’ cutoff point for negotiations — Hopkins will play this season under a $7.915 million fifth-year club option they exercised last year.