HOUSTON — The Houston Texans held their second day of training camp practice at the Houston Methodist Training Center on Thursday. Deshaun Watson was out on the field again amid his trade request and pending litigation.
Watson participated in individual drills for the second day in a row, but did not see any reps during 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 team activities. After practice, David Culley said Watson’s workload during training camp will be day-to-day due to his absence during the offseason.
Outside of the ongoing Watson drama, here are five observations from the second day of Texans’ training camp.
1. Davis Mills struggled during 11-on-11 team scrimmage
(AP Photo/Justin Rex)
Texans’ rookie quarterback Davis Mills did not look so good during Day 2 of training camp. While playing with the second team during 11-on-11 scrimmage, Mills went 0-for-3 from the pocket. On his final throw of the drive, Mills placed the ball perfectly in the hands of Brevin Jordan, but his draft mate dropped the pass. Jordan also committed a fumble earlier in the day.
Despite his struggles, Mills did have a chance to redeem himself before the day was over. He went 2-for-2 during the Texans’ situational drills, which included the rookie quarterback connecting with third-year tight end Kahale Warring on the final play of practice.
2. Texans could use a running back group by committee in 2021
(AP Photo/Justin Rex)
One of the position groups that underwent the most turnover this offseason was the running back core. While containing David Johnson from the previous season, Nick Caserio added Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay to the backfield. Despite having three players who could be held as the starter come Week 1 of the regular season, it appears that Houston will be using a running back group by committee in 2021.
Ingram was the lead-off man for each exercise, followed by Johnson and Lindsay. When it was time to take the field during 11-on-11 scrimmages, all three backs split first-team reps.
After practice, Lindsay described the running back group as a brotherhood who are all on the same page.
3. Great day for two defensive backs
(AP Photo/Justin Rex)
A pair of defensive backs made the morning a tad difficult for several receivers during one-on-one drills. Keion Crossen recorded a pass break up between Tyrod Taylor and Keke Coutee, and his physicality caused Isaiah Coulter to slip in the middle of his route running. Desmond King also had a chance to record a breakup pass between Taylor and his target Chris Conley.
4. Jersey number changes for a few of the receivers
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With the signing of free-agent Jordan Veasy and the departure of Randall Cobb, there were a pair of wide receivers who changed their jersey numbers on Thursday. After wearing No. 3 on the first day of training camp, Anthony Miller switched to 17 — the number he wore his first two years in Chicago.
Nico Collins has been wearing 84 since rookie mini-camp in late May but changed his number to 12. Veasy is now wearing No. 84.
5. Anthony Miller back-to-back highlights
(AP Photo/Justin Rex)
Anthony Miller received more reps during his second day of practice with the Texans. During seven-on-seven drills, Miller used his speed to create a miss tackle opportunity against Bradley Roby after completing a pass attempt from Taylor. A few plays later, Miller caught a pass between two defenders, showcasing his talents as a pass-catcher.
