This past Wednesday, the Houston Texans held a joint practice with the Carolina Panthers ahead of their preseason game on Friday. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans thought the joint practice went well, as his team showed strong competitiveness against Carolina.
"Today was a really great day. I thought we got great competitive work versus the Panthers,” Ryans said. “They showed up, a very gracious host, thankful for them having us. I liked the way our guys showed up from start to finish today. We executed really well. Guys played physical. It was a productive practice on both sides. Both teams came in with the right mindset. I appreciate [Panthers Head Coach] Dave [Canales] for how he handled it. Great operation, practice was ran efficiently and we got a lot
of productive work. It was exactly what we wanted."
DeMeco Ryans on the joint practice with the Panthers:
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) August 26, 2026
“Really great day. Great competitive work vs the Panthers. Very gracious hosts. I like the way our guys showed up from start to finish. Executed really well, guys played physical. It was a productive practice on both sides.… https://t.co/7VLwFN564Q pic.twitter.com/qjXVFDnEzf
Houston has lost its first two preseason games but in very different ways. Their opener against theLos Angeles Chargerswas a blowout. Conversely, in their second game, they blew a 17-0 lead through the end of the first quarter and lost 22-20 following an interception by third-string quarterback Brett Rypien on the Texans’ final drive of the game.
While the Texans will not play their starters in the final preseason game, it will still be an important test to see how their second- and third-string players have improved since blowing the lead against the Raiders. Ryans demands physicality no matter who is on the field and the backups in the game against Las Vegas did not live up to that standard last week.
It will also be an important game for players who are on the roster bubble trying to secure one of the 53 spots on the roster to make their final impression on the coaches before roster cuts are made.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: HC DeMeco Ryans believes Texans got "competitive work" against Panthers in joint practice
