How To Watch: Jackson Woodard NFL Preseason Week 2, Carolina Panthers @ Houston Texans

Game Preview

Last week, former UNLV Rebels superstar linebacker Jackson Woodard participated in his first live NFL action. He suited up when the Houston Texans played their NFL Preseason Week 1 opener on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. The Texans fell to the Vikings by a score of 20 - 10. In that game, we finally got to see Woodard on an NFL field after a tumultuous offseason. In 2024, with the Rebels, Woodard had one of the greatest defensive seasons in the program's history, which resulted in him being named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

All signs pointed to him being selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, that ended up not being the case, and he went undrafted. Nevertheless, he was quickly signed by the Seattle Seahawks and went to rookie minicamp. In a shocking turn of events, the Seahawks cut him before he was even able to complete rookie minicamp. Again, though, he was quickly scooped up by the Texans, where he is now competing for a spot on their 53-man roster.

In the team's first preseason game last weekend, Woodard made his first NFL tackle, which was the stat he recorded on the day. He played the entire fourth quarter and looked like he belonged. We were particularly impressed with how he played in coverage. That was the biggest concern for him, making the jump from college to the NFL. The inside linebacker will look to build off last week's performance in this game, showing why he belongs on an NFL roster, whether that be with the Texans or on one of the other 31 teams in the league.

How to Watch

What: Carolina Panthers @ Houston Texans
When: Saturday, August 16, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM EST
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
TV: Local Broadcast
Live Stream: NFL+

Players to Watch

Jackson Woodard, Houston Texans - Every chance Woodard gets to show off what he can do on a football field to NFL scouts, coaches, and general managers is a huge opportunity for the undrafted free agent. It's up in the air whether he'll crack the Texans' opening day roster; however, every preseason game is an audition for every other team in the league so he can sign to a roster of at the very least a practice squad. It will be interesting to see if he gets more playing time this week as the preseason dwindles down.

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