Houston has been at camp for over one week. Plenty has been learned about this offense and defense. New faces adorn the roster, battles have taken place, and stocks are beginning to rise and fall. It hasn’t been perfect, but this training camp and preseason represents an amazing opportunity for players to further their career. Conversely. there’s plenty of chances for players to lose their roster spots. With that, I posed the following question to the writers.
Training camp is upon us! Which player has the most to gain from a good training camp and which has the most to lose?
L4Blitzer
Most to gain: Every single LB in camp
not named Azeez Al-Shaair or Henry To’oTo’o. Those two are your starters in a base 4-2-5. However, with EJ Speed and Jake Hansen out due to injury, all seven other LBs on the roster (Fisher, TakiTaki, Hill, Hummel, Mapu, Ossai, Woodaz) have a chance to lock down the LB3 spot, assuring themselves more playing time and perhaps, more money. Especially when the team needs to move to a base 4-3, that LB3 is going to be critical. Likely, said LB3 will need to play special teams, but then again, E.J. Speed logged over half of the special teams snaps. Overall, a huge chance for all seven of those LBs.
Most to lose: Between Jake Andrews and Jarrett Patterson at the C/G spots. Both logged time on the O-line last season. However, Houston still went heavy (literally and figuratively) on the interior O-line in free agency and the draft. Both are in the last season of their respective contracts. If Houston decided to cut bait, neither would be huge cap or roster loss per se. Camp is likely going to be massive for both as far as their future with the Texans, if not in the NFL, is concerned. Neither locked down their spots at the end of last season, and are going to be in a dogfight for their spots this year.
VBallRetired
In terms of camp, I’m looking at Blake Fisher. I think he is one bad camp away from being cut and one good camp away from potentially being the swing tackle. Others players such as WR Xavier Hutchinson could be fighting for their job as well. The rest kind of sort their way out through the season but I’m looking at guys on the cusp.
Fizzy Joe
Out of the many players entering this training camp with a lot to gain (like L4Blitzer said, all of the backup LBs), I think TE Brevin Jordan can make a case for biggest upside. He hasn’t been in a real football game since September of 2024 after back-to-back season-ending injuries derailed his NFL career. Now, he’s fully recovered and motivated to keep his spot over rookie second-round pick Marlin Klein and/or veteran signing Foster Moreau. I think Jordan has a chance to explode onto the scene this training camp. My expectation going into last season with then-new offensive coordinator Nick Caley was that Brevin Jordan would be his X-factor tight end that could excel as both a blocker and receiver, not unlike Rams TEs Tyler Higbee or Colby Parkinson. Granted, Dalton Schultz was a far better run-blocker last year than I expected, but Jordan could have been the missing puzzle piece to that whole group last year. He has chance not only to become the #2 tight end this training camp, but I also think Jordan has a chance to push Schultz for playing time if he really gels with Caley’s offense.
As for the player that has the most to lose, I have to agree with L4Blitzer that Jake Andrews and/or Jarrett Patterson are in trouble. And argument can be made for someone like S Jaylen Reed or WR Xavier Hutchinson because of the competition surrounding them, but I expect both of those players to at least be on the roster by the end of the preseason, whereas I cannot say the same for Patterson or Andrews. There are probably five or six interior linemen currently on this roster with a solid chance of starting or making the roster. Patterson nor Andrews can’t claim they’re better than any guard or center except Eli Cox. Evan Brown, Febechi Nwaiwu, and Keylan Rutledge all have reason to be chosen over the two former starting centers. If Andrews or Patterson can’t out duel one of the newbies this month, both could end up traded or cut. If I had to pick one that’s in the most danger, I’d pick Jarrett Patterson since he started fewer games last year than Andrews, who was, for better or worse, a rock at center in 2025. It would be heartbreaking to see Patterson go after he he was thrown into the fire his rookie season in 2023, but he might just be the worst center on the roster
Kenneth L.
Let me start off by ruling out any of the rookies as they have significant opportunity to gain and lose relative to other players on the roster. However, they have the luxury of a cheap, four-year salary on their side.
Most to gain: I like the Brevin Jordan shout. It’s hard to disagree that a player who could go from fifth to second at his position, on a contract year, and off two injuries doesn’t have a lot to gain. However, I think Tank Dell for obvious reasons has the most to gain. Even if he starts the season on Injured Reserve, he has the opportunity to reintegrate himself back into this offense. His relationship with C.J. Stroud could propel him over the 709 yard mark from his rookie season.
Another player with a lot on the line is nickel Alijah Huzzie. I am keenly aware of my over-infatuation with the second-year defensive back from UNC. I love his gritty play, but mainly shutter to think who takes over for Jalen Pitre in the slot if he is injured. From UDFA to key piece on the defense is plenty to earn to make this list.
Last name I’ll throw out for gain is veteran Logan Hall. Nick Caserio loves to roll the dice on a traits-y, semi-underdeveloped veteran with flashes of performance. Hall could be the unlock for this defense that takes it to another level up front.
Most to lose: veteran Tremon Smith must feel the walls closing in around him. From Jaylin Smith’s return and hype to undrafted rookie Collin Wright balling out at camp, his role on defense and specialization on special teams is dwindling. Smith makes more than twice as much as both Wright and Huzzie combined.
I also believe WR Jaylin Noel has a lot to lose with this injury. Sure, he’s practicing again, but he was on the outs with the staff last year. There are seven WRs vying for six spots and Noel keeps giving them reasons to drop him on the depth chart. Noel should be fine for now, but he’s left the door open for Justin Watson, Tank Dell, Lewis Bond, and even Jared Wayne to steal not only his role but roster spot.
