C.J. Stroud is Ready to Respond | Top 5 Texans Camp Takeaways | Albert Breer

All right, thankfully, we're now inside at Houston Texans camp.

You guys can see some of the pictures back there.

It is a sauna outside and I was told that this wasn't even really that bad compared to some of the days they've had over the course of the last week for the coaches.

A lot of work that they can get done, conditioning they can get done, and the conditions here, we got 5 takeaways from Texans camp.

Takeaway number 1.

Obviously, the number 1 storyline here revolves around the quarterback.

CJ Stroud did not play well in the playoffs.

I don't think there's any argument over that.

But the way they've seen CJ respond over the course of the last 4 months has them believing that he's ready to take another step in his development.

He was healthy the entire offseason, which allowed him to do a lot more work in the spring.

Than he was able to do in his first year in Nick Kaley's offense in 2023, uh, the spring of that year.

He's been steady, he's been consistent.

That steadiness, that consistency, the perseverance, in addition to the partnership with Nick Kaley growing, has enabled him to take another step from a leadership standpoint.

So they're optimistic about where he is and how he responded to a really rough couple of playoff games in January.

Take away number 2, the brass here, Nick Casario, Damio Ryan's.

Deconstructed the offensive line room after the 2024 season, believing that there was a bit of a culture problem inside that room.

Now it feels like they're getting to where they wanted to go back then, which is to match the culture that they have on the defensive side of the ball on the offensive side of the ball, and that's most apparent in the makeup of the offensive line.

Is it the best offensive line in football?

No, but it might be one of the meanest and one of the nastiest.

To this point early in camp, at least before I got here, the offense.

Was playing the defense to a standstill.

We all know how good the Texans defense is to the point where when I talked to Will Anderson after practice, he felt like the defense got the better of the offensive day, and it's something that they'd actually been conscious of, like, we want to go and get after them, we want to reestablish ourselves as the top dog here.

So there's really good competition from that standpoint.

Again, on that offensive line, rookie Keelan Rutledge looks like a physical, tough, edgy player.

He's been involved in scraps and practice with the defensive linemen .

Wyatt Teller, Braden Smith bring a veteran presence.

The overall ethos of the offense looks like it's in a different place than it was a couple of years ago.

Takeaway number 3, if there's gonna be improvement in the skill position group, I think there are a number of 2nd-year guys that stand to make that possible.

And the first one, and the most obvious one from the, from, from this offseason was the 34th pick in last year's draft.

And that's Jaden Higgins, who has put the whole thing together and looks like a much more refined receiver at this point.

And because he's 6'4 and because he's playing across from another guy who's 6'4, Nico Collins.

Those two could create a real matchup issue.

The way I've had it described to me is it's almost like Jaden Higgins, who's a smoother, looser athlete, is the small forward, and Nico Collins, who's a little bit more powerful and physical is the power forward.

Um, on top of Higgins' progress, Jalen Noel, the team's other receiver draft pick at Iowa State in 2025, he's taken another step, looks like a weapon in the slot.

Woody Marks would be another name to watch.

He's running more patient, he's running with more discipline.

And it looks like he's earning a role next to David Montgomery.

I'll give you guys a bonus.

This isn't a 2-year guy, but Marlon Klein, rookie tight end out of Michigan , keep an eye on him.

Takeaway number 4, if a couple of weeks ago, I think people in this building would tell you that defensive line depth might be a concern with Derek Barnett gone and Danico Autry gone.

Well, they've taken care of that with, with Mario Edwards coming back, with Jadeveon Clowney coming back.

And they believe that the D-line could actually be a little bit better on the interior than it was a year ago.

The reason why Tommy Togia has taken a step, Logan Hall coming over from Tampa, a taller, longer presence than they've had on the inside.

Their second-round pick, Caden McDonald, obviously they had to move some things around to get him, have high hopes for him, and then, and then they're bringing back Sheldon Rankin.

So they actually believe the defensive tackle group might be better than it was a year ago.

Finally, take away number 5.

So where can the league's best defense improve?

The one word that came up was communication, and the feeling that there is another level for the defense, which is insane to think about if some of the communication that they've worked on through the spring and summer.

Carries over into the regular season.

It's Reed Blankenship coming over at safety from Philly.

It's Kaylen Book, who's a rising star at the position, having another year under his belt.

It's Jalen Petrie, who's one of the headiest nickels in the league, um, there, and then they bring back Aziz Al-Shair and Henry Otoatoa, two really smart off-ball linebackers.

Those 5 guys in the center of the defense have such a great ability to communicate and adjust things on the fly.

And so that could allow the Texans to do even more, um, with their defensive front as they get closer to the snap , do more to adjust to what offenses are throwing at them, and believe it or not, maybe be even better than they were a year ago.

That's it from Houston.

We'll see you tomorrow from Detroit.