The Houston Texans wrapped up their offseason program Thursday and open training camp on July 29 at Houston Methodist Training Center, across the street from NRG Stadium in Houston.
Here’s a 53-man roster projection:
QUARTERBACKS (3): Brock Osweiler, Tom Savage, Brandon Weeden
For the first time since the start of the 2013 season, there's been no competition at quarterback for any portion of the offseason program. That's put the Texans way ahead of where they were in developing their offense.
RUNNING BACKS (4): Lamar Miller, Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes, Tyler Ervin
Ervin suffered a quad strain during the offseason but should be ready for training camp. They Texans like his speed, and obviously love Miller's speed, which squeezed out Akeem Hunt -- a fast and promising young running back who joined the team during the 2015 season.
FULLBACK (1): Jay Prosch
He's the only fullback on the roster and the Texans have a role for him.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5): DeAndre Hopkins, Cecil Shorts, Jaelen Strong, Will Fuller, Braxton Miller
The Texans went all in to improve this position this season, doing something this team rarely does. They invested first- and third-round picks in receivers with Fuller and Miller. During OTAs and minicamp, Shorts was often seen instructing the youngsters during team drills to get them in the right spots before the snap. His veteran presence is important in such a young room.
TIGHT ENDS (3): C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin, Stephen Anderson
This is the post-offseason program 53-man roster projection, and during the offseason program Anderson showed very promising signs. He wasn't drop-free, but his hands were very impressive. An undrafted rookie out of California, he could give the Texans a pass-catching dimension they haven't had since they released Owen Daniels.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Duane Brown, Derek Newton, Jeff Allen, Xavier Su'a-Filo, Tony Bergstrom, Nick Martin, Jeff Adams, Chris Clark, Kendall Lamm
The Texans are hoping to have Brown back for the start of training camp. He suffered a significant torn right quad tendon in the regular season finale and has missed all of the Texans' offseason program.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): J.J. Watt, Vince Wilfork, Devon Still, Christian Covington, D.J. Reader, Jeoffrey Pagan
The Texans could carry five here. The way they Texans move around their players, their ends can really play anywhere on the line. Reader is a promising young player the Texans selected in the fifth round. He could succeed Wilfork.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (4): Brian Cushing, Benardrick McKinney, Max Bullough, Brian Peters
Cushing said he and McKinney are starting to develop the kind of rapport that he and DeMeco Ryans had when Cushing first came to the Texans. That should be scary for opponents as those two were phenomenal together. Peters is a special-teams standout who needs a place on the roster.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (4): Whitney Mercilus, Jadeveon Clowney, John Simon, Carlos Thompson
The first three represent the three-man rotation the Texans kept last season. I could see keeping one more outside linebacker to account for Clowney's injury history. It could be Thompson, but this early in the offseason, when they've only practiced without pads, it's not much more than a guess.
SAFETIES (5): Andre Hal, Quintin Demps, K.J. Dillon, Eddie Pleasant, Lonnie Ballentine
Ballentine has yet to make it through a season healthy, but has ability if he can. Dillon was the first defensive player the Texans drafted.
CORNERBACKS (6): Johnathan Joseph, Kevin Johnson, Kareem Jackson, A.J. Bouye, Charles James, Terrance Mitchell
The Texans typically go pretty heavy on defensive backs. Mitchell was a late offseason pickup off waivers and will be able to compete for a roster spot. Joseph, Johnson and Jackson are pretty set as the Texans top three, but with Joseph and Johnson recovering from injuries this offseason, Bouye saw a lot of first-team action and did well.
SPECIAL TEAMS (3): P Shane Lechler, K Nick Novak, LS Jon Weeks
Weeks and Lechler are dependable. Novak will be in a battle with Ka'imi Fairbairn, an undrafted rookie out of UCLA, during training camp. Until we see more of that competition, we'll favor the incumbent.