Five things to watch
As the Texans prepare for their second preseason game, here's a quick glance at what to look for Saturday night against the San Francisco 49ers at NRG Stadium:
1 Deshaun Watson
All eyes will be on the second-year Texans quarterback as he makes his preseason debut at NRG Stadium after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last season. Coach Bill O’Brien plans to limit the starters’ workload in a similar manner to the preseason opener against the Chiefs.
2 Duke Ejiofor
The Alief Taylor graduate served notice against the Chiefs he might be ready to be a situational pass rusher as a rookie. If Ejiofor can continue to get to the quarterback with a crisp spin move, the Texans could increase his role. He had three quarterback hits as a starter against the Chiefs.
3 Braxton Miller
The converted quarterback caught all three passes thrown to him in the first preseason game. Miller has started to click as a receiver and has stepped up this preseason while rookie slot receiver Keke Coutee is out with a strained hamstring. Miller has upgraded his knowledge of the offense.
4 Offensive line
An overhauled group had a solid game last week, but needs to build on that outing. From left to right, Julie’n Davenport, Senio Kelemete, Nick Martin, Zach Fulton and Seantrel Henderson look like an improved unit from last season when the Texans had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.
5 Justin Reid
The top draft pick and rookie safety from Stanford used to root for the 49ers when his brother, former Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid, was playing for the NFC West franchise. Reid dealt with jitters during his NFL debut against the Chiefs when he started the game and missed one tackle.