Houston’s drubbing of the New York Giants gives some perspective into how the players are trending.
Houston Texans had their way with the flailing New York Giants on Saturday to the tune of a 28-10 victory. The season is upon us and the final roster spots are quickly being finalized.
Let’s evaluate the best and worst performances from the game and whose standing has changed the most after the matchup.
Stock Up: Marcus Harris
The seventh round rookie has been showing out in preseason and making it difficult for the front office to not give him a roster spot. Harris scored the fourth best PFF defensive grade of the game with an 81.8 grade including an 86.5 run defense grade. His big play against the Giants for a tackle for loss is arguably the best play by a defensive tackle this preseason.
The Texans IDL room is once again showing they are much better than advertised.
Another great game from Mario Edwards along with Khalil Davis & Marcus Harris making really nice days.
I like really what I’ve seen from Harris so far pic.twitter.com/ToSGYGRH6Z
— Jacob (@Stroud4AllPro) August 19, 2024
Harris fits the newer mold of shorter, squatty, and extremely quick off the line defensive tackles. He is however submerged on the depth chart behind Mario Edwards, Khalil Davis, Tim Settle, Kurt Hinish, and Foley Fatukasi. Though if Settle is unable to go, Harris could sneak onto this roster as the last DT in the group. A miracle run could be in the making, but he needs another outstanding preseason game against the Rams to secure his spot.
Stock Down: Dameon Pierce
Pierce’s place on the roster is precarious. Cam Akers is continuing to dazzle, making players miss, and turning nothing into something. Meanwhile, Dare Ogunbowale provides versatility, consistency, and blocking prowess. Houston doesn’t have the patience for Pierce to “figure it out” for a second straight season.
There must be another team in the league that fits Pierce’s downhill running style better and would desire his talents. Whether Houston can find a trade partner or not is beside the point, but through three preseason games we’ve yet to see a run longer than three yards from Pierce.
Stock Up: Jalen Pitre
Welcome to the…linebacker room? Pitre lined up as the third linebacker in the box and played the nickel role throughout the first quarter. He was a man on fire for the first three drives. He made the play of the game by picking off QB Daniel Jones and returning it for a touchdown to put the Texans on top. He followed up that miraculous play with three tackles the next series including a four yard tackle for loss.
Former @BUFootball STAR Jalen Pitre with the pick six for the @HoustonTexans pic.twitter.com/oO3vMe6ugY
— Colt Barber (@Colt_Barber) August 17, 2024
Pitre’s experience and versatility permit the rest of the Texans secondary to play more freely and focus on their coverage while Pitre roams the field looking for opposing players to demolish.
Stock Down: Texans Secondary Depth
No Jeff Okudah, no C.J. Henderson, and no M.J. Stewart. If these guys are trying to make the roster, they aren’t improving their chances by being on the sideline. Defensive backs Kris Boyd, Myles Bryant, and Mike Ford Jr. played a considerable number of snaps in Saturday’s game and again did not impress. They weren’t able to keep up with the speed of the Giants’ wide receivers and were burned several times downfield. This is increasingly becoming an area of weakness where Houston should look to address in the free agent market come cut down day.
Stock Up: Entire Offensive Line
Zero sacks against Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux is an accomplishment. The initial intention was to highlight the interior of the offensive line, but after rewatching the film the entire position group performed valiantly all game.
Also, what more can be said about Blake Fisher’s preseason? He has performed admirably for the first three weeks. Yes, he did false start on the very first play of the game, but after that he settled in and put on a performance swapping between left and right tackle. He’s still got a long way to go to refine his game, but overall a fine third outing by the rookie.
The depth on the line is coming together well too. Houston has a clear top seven lineman, but there’s a few roster spots available for another guard and tackle depending on health and their play leading up to the roster decision.
Stock Down: Del’Shawn Phillips
The veteran linebacker has been given every opportunity to succeed in Houston and has thus far squandered the opportunity. He was brought into replace several key pieces of the linebacker corps that left and also beat out several incumbents including Henry To’oTo’o, Neville Hewitt, and Jake Hansen. He’s done neither of those things.
He posted a 43.8 PFF grade against the Giants (third worst on defense) and a 31.8 grade against the Bears (second worst on defense). I wrote three times in my game notes against the Giants that they were either picking on him or beat him in the running game.
For a player initially projected to make the roster, Phillips has worked his way out of a job.
Stock Up: Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
Forcing five turnovers in a preseason game is fantastic. The TV broadcast continually panned to an enthusiastic Burke after each turnover. The fourth quarter featured three consecutive fumbles, each recovered by a safety, a linebacker, and a defensive lineman. Plus, two interceptions; one for a touchdown and one preventing a touchdown, turned the game Houston’s way early on in the contest. Sure, Burke’s job is made easier by having a defensive minded head coach in DeMeco Ryans, but so far Houston’s defense has been aggressive and impressive.
Stock Down: Haters
After such a strong all-around performance, there’s hardly enough chastising to match all the praise to be expounded. The Texans forced five turnovers, three in consecutive drives. The first glimpse of the starting offense was shimmering. The stars on the defense shined. The rookies are starting to come together.
Head Coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned in an interview not “peaking too early” in a season and making sure the team was ready for the start of the season. IF that was the intention, the team has looked better each preseason game. The engines are revving in Houston and the doubters have less and less to lean on.
If there ever was a season to embrace the ride, let 2024 be that merry-go-round.
Stock Up: John Metchie III
Have a day Mr. Metchie III! Six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown is exactly the performance he needed to remain in contention for a roster spot. He finally demonstrated the elusiveness and agility seen on display in practice and social media. It’s still the most crowded position room in all of football, but Metchie considerably improved his positioning on the depth chart after Saturday.
John Metchie hitting the Crimson Crane pic.twitter.com/0HbzK1WC5K
— Alabama DieHards (@DiehardsAlabama) August 17, 2024
It’s clearly, clearly evident that C.J. Stroud is friends with Metchie and would prefer him on the roster. That may go a long way with the coaching staff as a deciding factor. These guys practice together in the offseason and know each other well as demonstrated by their intricate handshake after Metchie’s touchdown.
If I’m Nick Caserio, I’m calling the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, or any team that has wide receiver depth concerns and pitching the idea of trading for Metchie.