On decisions like trades, it’s a meeting of the minds
Washington offensive tackle Trent Williams has been the subject of trade speculation because of his rift with the team over his contract and medical care.
The Texans, who signed left tackle Matt Kalil and drafted tackle Tytus Howard in the first round, have been part of the speculation about landing spots for Williams but are likely in a wait-and-see mode.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien was asked about how decisions on acquiring players are conducted. The team has no general manager after firing Brian Gaine and divides responsibilities between O’Brien and executives Matt Bazirgan, James Liipfert and Jack Easterby.
“We go in there every day and we meet,” O’Brien said. “We (meet) about all the things that are going on around the league, we talk about different things relative to our team, on our roster, maybe not on our roster. Everything is talked about. There’s a lot of different things that go into decisions that are made. There’s a lot of things that go in: culture fit, salary cap, money, role on the team, where you have an excess of really good players relative to where you may have some depth issues.
“There’s probably a hundred things that are spoken about relative to your decision to do something whether it’s with the team that currently exists or something outside the team. We’ve got a great structure of communication and we talk every day.”
O’Brien praised the work of Kalil, who has made a healthy return so far after being sidelined last year with the Carolina Panthers.
“I think he works hard,” O’Brien said. “He’s very athletic. He’s smart. He’s played a lot of football in the league. He has really picked up our offense well. He’s doing a good job.”
Being outdoors an adjustment
Coach Bill O’Brien had mixed reviews about practice Thursday.
O’Brien generally liked the effort, but there were some sloppy moments, and the team adjusted to a hot day after practicing inside Wednesday.
Thursday marked the Texans’ first practice open to fans since the start of training camp. There was a large crowd cheering on the players.
“I thought it was OK,” O’Brien said. “There’s a big difference between being indoors and outdoors. I thought it started off a little slow but it got picked up there at the end and guys were fighting through.”
More time needed to evaluate tight ends
The Texans don’t have a ton of proven experience at the tight end position. Kahale Warring is in his rookie season, and Jordan Thomas and Jordan Akins are entering their second year. The most established tight end is veteran Daniel Fells, a 32-yearold who once played professional basketball and has 68 career catches for 830 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Warring missed the first week of training camp with a strained hamstring. Thomas is still sidelined with a strained hamstring but is expected back soon.
“They are not wily veterans, I can promise you that,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “This is, in some ways, an extension of their rookie year. I think Akins has been out here a lot. He’s venturing into his second year and is doing some good things.
“I think for Thomas, he’s got to get out here. He’s been out. He’s got to get out here for practice. Kahale Warring is a rookie. We have some good guys there. It’s a good position, but we need them all out here at the same time to really evaluate them.”
Injury report
Rookie offensive tackle Tytus Howard was held out of practice as a precautionary measure and is expected to be back soon. Howard got rolled up in practice Wednesday and watched practice Thursday with a sleeve on his knee. … Starting center Nick Martin (strained muscle) hasn’t practiced yet at training camp. Also missing practice: tight end Jordan Thomas (hamstring) and cornerback Jermaine Kelly.