For those wondering on who will suit up in Game 3 of the preseason, it's the names fighting for roster spots on the Houston Texans.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed that said no starters would play in Friday's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. Several key backups, including quarterback Davis Mills and defensive Jadeveon Clowney, also will likely rest and begin to prepare for Week 1's matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
This shouldn't come as a surprise since Houston has rarely played starters outside of a quarter in recent years. Given that the Texans usually have two joint practices before games, most of the work is done there, so there's little for Ryans and the staff to see.
This offseason, the Texans were cautious with several
key players, electing not to play them at all. Even quarterback C.J. Stroud, who still is looking for a massive contract extension entering the new campaign, only played in one drive, which led to a scoring opportunity for second-year running back Woody Marks.
Most of the defensive starters have not played in any preseason games this year, including Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter, Will Anderson Jr., Henry To’oTo’o and Calen Bullock. On offense, David Montgomery, Dalton Schultz and Nico Collins were all sidelined in preparation for the new season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time. The game will be televised on ABC.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Will Texans starters play in the preseason finale vs. Panthers?
