The Houston Texans are ready for action on Saturday afternoon, hoping to set the tone against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S Bank Stadium.
Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud and new wide receiver Christian Kirk were seen arriving at the stadium ahead of kickoff. Here’s a shot of the new duo getting ready to begin practice, though neither player is expected to start on Saturday.
The Texans and Vikings should both take a cautious approach when it comes to their starters, though Minnesota does plan on seeing first-team reps for J.J. McCarthy after watching the first-round pick miss his entire rookie season. That doesn’t mean he’ll play the entire game, but he’ll need to feel comfortable inside the pocket is he plans on making the ideal jump toward frontline starter status.
Advertisement
As for Houston? Coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned that the younger starters would see action. That means that offensive lineman Tay Ersery, the projected starting right tackle, wide receiver Jaylin Noel, who’s fighting for first-team reps in the slot, and Jayden Higgins, the newest name on the outside, are expected to see action.
“Everybody’s kind of on their own plan,” Ryans said. “We’ll have a handful of guys who won’t see time at all. Then we’ll have a certain group of guys who are limited. So, it’s just a lot of different guys in different categories there.”
As for Kirk and Stroud, they’re expected to see a majority of their “gotta have reps” during next week’s preseason joint practice against the Carolina Panthers at the Methodist Training Center.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: WATCH: Texans arrive at U.S. Bank Stadium for preseason Game 1