Former UNLV Rebels Star Jackson Woodard Underwhelms In NFL Preseason Week 2 With The Houston Texans

Former UNLV Rebels linebacker Jackson Woodard took the field in the Houston Texans' NFL Preseason Week 2 matchup this weekend. Woodard had his second chance to leave his mark on an NFL game Saturday when the Texans hosted the Carolina Panthers. In a game that Houston ultimately dominated and won by a score of 20 - 3, Woodard had a limited impact on either defense or special teams.

He once again came in on defense late in the game, and while he didn't look bad, he didn't find his name popping up on the stat sheet either. His final stat line was just one assisted tackle. The tackle came on the first play of the final Panthers' drive of the game when he helped drag down running back Emani Bailey after a short gain. This was not the kind of big game that Woodard was hoping to have to catch the eyes of his coaches to show that he belongs on the team's 53-man roster.

His final chance to make an impact and earn an opening day roster spot will come next Saturday when the Texans take to the road to face off with the Detroit Lions. There is a good chance that the reigning Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year gets more playing time in the team's final preseason game. In the final preseason game, teams generally rest as many players as possible in order to get a longer look at players who are on the roster bubble and to keep the players locked on healthy for the start of Week 1 of the NFL regular season.

Even if Woodard is not able to carve out a role on the Texans' defense and make their final roster, there are still plenty of other options for him in the NFL. Every time he steps on the field, it should be considered an audition for the coaches, scouts, and GMs of 31 other teams as well as the team he's currently playing for. There is also a chance he could be named to an NFL practice squad, whether that be in Houston or on another team.

There is a reason the Texans were so quickly to scoop him up after he was cut by the Seattle Seahawks at rookie minicamp. They obviously saw something in Woodard that they liked. We'd expect them to take a long look at him this weekend in preseason to get all the information they need to make the tough decision of either cutting or keeping the former Rebels star.

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