Texans Training Camp Day 10 Notebook: Brandin Cooks vs. Derek Stingley Jr. - Rookie Officially Arrives
HOUSTON -- One play won't define the outlook of a player's career, but it could show the potential of what they bring to the table. For the Houston Texans and rookie cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., that play came on Wednesday during team drills.
Since the start of training camp, receiver Brandin Cooks has been unguardable. A bad throw from quarterbacks Davis Mills or Kyle Allen could lead to an incompletion, but when in stride, the six-time 1,000-yard receiver has cooked every defensive back.
Steven Nelson? Advantage Cooks. Isaac Yiadom? Advantage Cooks. Jonathan Owens? That's 3-for-3 for the Texans' go-to weapon.
What about Stingley? Before Wednesday, he fell into the same category. But he's been watching the intricate details of Cooks' game — and the rookie used that knowledge against Cooks in practice, perfectly jumping a curl route and getting his hands on the ball from a Mills' throw.
Perhaps a better exhibition of hand-eye coordination would have led to a pick-six, but Stingley dropped the ball. On game days, he certainly would have regretted not hanging on. But it's practice.
More specifically, it is progress.
"There were some good plays he made today," Texans coach Lovie Smith said. "A great one would have been him catching that interception and running and scoring with it. But we like everything Derek has done since he came in the building.”
Since being drafted No. 3 overall in April, Stingley has been easing his way back to full speed. Entering his final season at LSU, the 6-foot, 190-pound corner suffered a Lisfranc foot injury in Week 3 that required season-ending surgery.
At the start of training camp, Texans general manager Nick Caserio said that players wouldn't be rushed through injury. Stingley is a long-term investment for a franchise that has posted back-to-back four-win seasons.
When healthy, the 2019 All-American has the potential to be one of the league's best cover corners, mirroring Los Angeles Rams' Jalen Ramsey or Green Bay Packers' Jaire Alexander.
"The guy doesn't have many weaknesses in his game," cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso said. "Like all rookies, he needs a little bit more time on tasks mentally, but physically, he's exactly what we expected."
Cooks is not only the Texans' best route-runner, but it's also his best asset that makes him among the best receivers in the league. Cornerbacks around the NFL have talked about how his speed and change of direction make him dangerous in the open field.
Stingley is the first to make noise against him in practice. And while one play isn't enough to say there's finally a worthy opponent to battle Cooks in coverage, it's certainly a start.
"He's a great player, and he's going to help us win a lot of football games," Smith said.
Darius Anderson Done
On Tuesday evening, it was announced that Anderson's season was over after suffering a knee injury during Tuesday's practice that required immediate surgery. Emerging as the team's potential No. 4 running back, Smith said he remained in good spirits and would return "stronger than ever" next season.
"[He's] a guy that showed up every day, was doing some good things," Smith said. "We had a plan for him. Unfortunately, injuries are part of our game. It's just pretty much a non-contact injury that happened."
Anderson, a native of Richmond, Texas, played his college ball at TCU. He would go undrafted and spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts' practice squads before arriving in Houston.
The team has yet to place him on the IR and announce the corresponding move.
Wallow Woes?
Second-year linebacker Garret Wallow has been the talk of the offseason among coaches and the front office largely due to his development. While Saturday's preseason matchup against the New Orleans Saints could provided a better glimpse into his growth, his status remains unknown.
Wallow suffered an ankle injury in Tuesday’s practice; the severity is yet to be revealed. According to Smith, it's not expected to be a season-ending injury, but it could keep him out of practice for the foreseeable future.
"If there is someone out for the season, I'll talk about them right away, which I did about Darius," Smith said. "The rest of the guys we don't know exactly what the timetable is, but they'll be back.”
Texans linebacker coach Miles Smith praised Wallow for lowering his body fat to help him speed up his pursuit angles toward the football. Miles, Lovie's son, is also pleased with Wallow's versatility and knowledge of the playbook at all three linebacker spots.
In training camp, Wallow and third-round rookie Christian Harris have primarily worked with the first-team defense on both outside linebacker roles.
"He's showing his intelligence level," Miles Smith said. "He's naturally intelligent, but now he's able to kind of grow on what he's done in the past."
Playmaking Pitre
Stingley is one of two rookies expected to start Week 1 against the Colts in coverage. Safety Jalen Pitre might have been a Day 2 pick, but he's already a future Day 1 contributor.
On Wednesday, Pitre broke up a pair of passes, including one intended for Cooks during team drills. He also has been an effective blitzer, recording a pair of sacks over the past three days.
"I'm trying to gain those guys' respect and I'm trying to show them that I belong," Pitre said in his first interview of training camp. "That's big that they feel like I'm doing a great job, but I want to continue to grow and continue to match their intensity.”
During his All-American season at Baylor, Pitre often would play near the line of scrimmage as a 'STAR' defender. It led to him leading the Bears in tackles for losses with 18.
In Smith's defense, safeties must be willing to tackle while also making plays in coverage. At the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Pitre took reps at the free safety, showing off his versatility.
He credits patience factoring into his growth early on in camp.
"You are the last line of defense, so you can’t be as aggressive, but it’s still football," Pitre sad. "I still understand that I’m a piece of the defense and I need to do my job. Every time I’m out there, I’m trying to do that.”
QUICK HITS
- Another day, another strong practice from Jonathan Owens. During red-zone drills, the free safety stumbled at the line of scrimmage, playing in man coverage against tight end Pharaoh Brown. He quickly recovered to break up the pass, leading to what would've only been a field goal from Houston's offense.
On Tuesday, Owens broke up two passes in the red zone, including one against potential starting receiver Chris Moore. On Sunday, he intercepted a pass against quarterback Kyle Allen.
- One thing second-year tight end Brevin Jordan wants to improve on his run blocking. A single play won't necessarily prove anything, but Jordan did save Mills from being sacked by delivering a clean block on defensive end Rasheem Green. The play gave Mills enough time to connect with receiver Nico Collins for an 8-yard touchdown.
- One of the biggest criticism against Mills thus far in camp has been his timidness in throwing downfield. One could argue that new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton has been limiting his throws to work on consistency, but Smith wanted his second-year QB to start taking shots.
It wasn't always perfect, but Mills connected twice with receivers at least 20 yards downfield. His best throw of the day came during team drills when he found Cooks for a 25-yard gain. A play later, he connected with tight end Mason Schreck for an 18-yard touchdown.
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