Texans Camp Notebook: Juice Scruggs 'Ready' To Fill Void At Center
HOUSTON — Juice Scruggs entered training camp as the second-string center playing behind Scott Quessenberry. The plan was for the rookie offensive lineman to spend the 2023 campaign learning from the veteran while honing his skills for the future.
But during Day 6 of camp at the Houston Methodist Training Center, the projection of Scruggs' season changed. Quessenberry went down with a season-ending knee injury, which thrust Scruggs into the starting lineup.
Scruggs said he took on the "next man up mentality." And following Day 14 of camp, it appears that Scruggs will take the helm as the Texans' starting center.
"I am ready, but I don't want to look ahead," Scruggs said. "Right now, I am just focused on Miami, coming up for the preseason games and joint practices. That's my main focus."
The Texans drafted Scruggs with the No. 62 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. In April, Scruggs described his draft selection as a "shock," given that he had few conversations with Houston leading up to the draft.
He became an intriguing prospect at Penn State after giving up one sack during the 2022 season while finishing with an overall grade of 71.5, per Pro Football Focus.
Due to the battles with Maliek Collins, Scruggs is confident to serve as Quessenberry's replacement. But no defensive lineman can task a more significant challenge than what he went through in 2019 when a car accident resulted in a fractured vertebra.
Scruggs is grateful for the chance to play football at the highest level. But his most prominent gratitude comes in the form of life.
"I am very thankful just to be alive, to be honest," Scruggs said. "God is good. Just to be here, it's all him. Just to play football, it's a blessing. I don't take it for granted. Very thankful. very blessed."
Jalen Pitre wants to become more of a ball hawk: Quarterback C.J. Stroud committed an interception during team activities. The turnovers were not an indictment against his performance, but it was another testament to the strength of the defense.
Steven Nelson recorded his fourth interception of training camp by picking up Stroud's pass attempt to Noah Brown. The Texans are up to 13 takeaways during camp, but none have come from Jalen Pitre.
The second-year safety has come close to recording a takeaway on several occasions, and he nearly had an interception during the Texans' 20-9 preseason victory against the New England Patriots.
Pitre said each time he steps onto the field, his goal is to get the ball back into the offense's hands. As a rookie prospect from Baylor University, Pitre recorded a team-high five interceptions in 2022.
"I am going for the ball every single time," Pitre said. "Every time the ball is in the air, I'm looking forward to doing that. I understand that I am not perfect. But I will not dwell on it. I am going to look at how I can improve. I'm always looking to get the ball back into the offense's hands."
The Pivot Podcast made an appearance: Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor, hosts of The Pivot Podcast, made an appearance during Day 14 of training camp.
The trio stayed for the first hour of practice to watch the team warm up and go through one-on-ones. It's not sure which player will be a guest on the Pivot Podcast. But the consensus believes Pro Bowl Laremy Tunsil will take the honor as their next guest.
QUICK HITS
- The Texans had their second skirmish of training camp. It was hard to see the players involved in the fight, but the offense and defense cleared their respective sidelines to help break up the conflict.
- Kenyon Green returned to practice Monday morning after taking a day off. He nixed his shoulder during team activities but finished practice. Will Anderson Jr., John Metchie III and Laremy Tunsil received a day off.
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