Texans Secondary Draws Strong Praise From Panthers' Dave Canales

The Houston Texans will have their second of three preseason games on the horizon this weekend as they'll be tasked against the Carolina Panthers, perhaps acting as a meeting between the top two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft in Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, albeit in a preliminary fashion.

And before getting that second preseason bout rolling, on Thursday, the Texans and Panthers put together a joint practice with one another for some good competition, and a look at what each team can do against another team outside of themselves in a practice.

In the eyes of Panthers head coach Dave Canales, doing so was great work for his roster before that weekend preseason matchup, but especially so for his passing offense when going up against the Texans' elite secondary–– something he made sure to highlight during his presser following practice.

"I saw good battles," Canales said following the Panthers' joint practice. "They had their works worth today with a fantastic group, with [Derek] Stingley, and [Kamari] Lassiter, and [Jalen] Pitre, and [Calen] Bullock back there... They had a couple of players out there that were covering us tightly all day. Everything that we caught, we had to work for. That's such good work for us to be in that kind of competitive environment that way. You win some, you lose some, you've got to go to the next play. It was a good challenge for our guys."

Panthers head coach Dave Canales on the “fantastic group” that is the Texans secondary:

“We’re covering us tightly all day. Everything that we caught we had to work for.” pic.twitter.com/0WDKTHgrD7
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) August 14, 2025

It's one thing for those inside the building on the Texans' sidelines to hype up what this roster may have in store for next season, but to hear it from the head coach on the opposite end of the field is an aspect that's certainly worth noting.

And Canales' praise comes for good reason too. The Texans come off a season in which they were already among one of the league's more productive secondaries, and head into a 2025 campaign where all four of the aforementioned names will have one more year of experience and another offseason of work to bank on.

Add in C.J. Gardner-Johnson as an offseason addition when he's healthy, and the Texans might not just be one of the top secondaries in the NFL, but rather the best.

Dec 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) reacts after an interception during the game against the Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

While it might be a preseason contest, the Panthers might have their work cut out for them come Saturday in Houston– a pass-catching unit that'll be led out by the seventh-overall pick in this year's draft, Tetairoa McMillan.

Kickoff for Texans-Panthers lands on Saturday at 1 PM ET.

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