More evaluation needed
Veterans haven’t stepped up yet to show who will be part of rushing attack
ARLINGTON — A Texans offense that acquired three veteran running backs in the offseason has, after two preseason games, yet to produce the kind of performance that shows the unit offers more firepower than it did in 2020, when the Houston run game ranked second-to-last in the NFL.
The Texans beat the Cowboys 20-14 on Saturday night in AT&T Stadium, David Culley’s second straight victory as a first-time NFL head coach. Like the first, this win was largely due to the large number of turnovers forced by the defense.
New defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s attacking, four-manfront defense forced four turnovers Saturday, one of them a picksix that safety Lonnie Johnson returned for a touchdown a few minutes into the second half.
Beneath that, the Texans’ offense struggled for the second time this preseason. Houston was 0for-10 on third-down opportunities, which was partially due to the team’s failure to establish a run game for the second straight game.
Mark Ingram, Phillip Lindsay, Rex Burkhead — all signed after establishing themselves with other franchises — combined for 12 carries, 30 yards (2.5 yards per carry) and a 2-yard touchdown by Ingram on the first drive of the game.
No matter what the Texans did in the game, whether they brought in extra tight ends or fullback Paul Quessenberry to block, the Cowboys defense mostly stuffed them when they attempted to run.
Culley said the Cowboys disrupted their offensive game plan by blitzing more than the coaching staff anticipated. Also, Culley said the Texans used multiple tight end sets less because they were trying to manufacture a run game and more because the staff is trying to evaluate a tight end group that has seven members who won’t all make the team.
David Johnson, the 29-year-old running back whom former coach and general manager Bill O’Brien acquired in a trade for three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins, did not record a carry against the Cowboys. His only rush attempt so far this preseason was on the first drive against Green Bay, when the Texans were stuffed for a loss of a yard on a third-and-1 in the red zone, leading to a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal.
The lack of production from the group of veterans highlights one of the more pressing questions in training camp as multiple cut deadlines loom: Just how will Culley and Co. evaluate a running back room that won’t likely keep all the veterans it acquired?
The Texans have seen some positive signs from the three lesser established running backs currently on the roster.
Darius Jackson, acquired two weeks ago after getting waived by the Raiders, had a 25-yard touchdown run against the Packers. Scottie Phillips led the Texans in rushing at Green Bay and had four carries for 16 yards against the Cowboys. Buddy Howell averaged 4.8 yards against the Packers.
It appears Jackson, Phillips and Howell are in an uphill battle to make the team, although they’re expectedly getting the most carries in exhibition games mostly played by reserves.
So what are general manager Nick Caserio, Culley and the Texans coaching staff seeing from the small sample size they’re getting from their top veterans?
“Well, it was good to see them all tonight get some reps, and next week, we’ve got another preseason game, and we’re going to get more reps out of them,” Culley said. “But I was happy with what we got out of tonight.”
The Texans play their third and final preseason game against the Buccaneers on Saturday at NRG Stadium, which precedes the largest round of cuts of the preseason. Houston has 84 players on the roster, and Caserio must move four more to meet the league’s 80-player limit by Tuesday’s 3 p.m. deadline.
One can glean from Culley’s answer that the Texans might hold on to their running backs through the week so they can see one more game before having to cut down to the final 53-man roster by Aug. 31.
Ingram, playing in his first preseason game with the Texans, did add some improvement in shortyardage situations against the Cowboys. He converted a fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 14 with a 2-yard rush directly behind right guard Max Scharping. Three plays later, Ingram ran up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown that gave the Texans a 7-0 lead.
The Texans finished 1-for-2 on fourth-down conversion attempts. Lindsay, who finished with four carries for 2 yards, was stuffed for a loss of 1 on a fourth-and-1 attempt at the Dallas 36 in the second quarter.
Culley had said he’d be aggressive when faced with short-yardage fourth-down opportunities this season, a case-by-case strategy based on “gut feeling,” which highlights the small margin of error for a Texans team that, more than most teams, can’t rely on field goals to win games in 2021.
“I love the aggressive mentality,” said Ingram, who finished with seven carries, 24 yards and the score. “I love the identity, because we have a physical identity, an identity that we have faith in, that we believe in each other, that we believe that we’re going to get a yard.”