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Opportunities for Texans starting jobs are few and far between
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Watch out for the new D-Rob in 2009 - a nose tackle wearing #66
One sign of a maturing organization is stability in team management and coaching ranks.
One sign of a maturing team is stability on its roster and key positions.
Looking up and down the Texans roster, I don't see a lot of open starting jobs so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math.
Of course stability doesn't always equate to quality at a given position. Not picking on Eugene Wilson, but just because he's going on his second season as the Texans starting free safety doesn't mean the position couldn't be improved.
But the point is that the Texans have upgraded their talent considerably in the past three seasons and the days of constant turnover, especially at the starting spots, appear to be behind us.
As long as this coaching staff remains in place and the W's outnumber the L's.
On the offense, the starting eleven is set:
At quarterback, until he gets injured, is Matt Schaub. Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter are the top two wide receivers. Owen Daniels is at tight end. The offensive linemen are Duane Brown, Chester Pitts, Chris Myers, Mike Brisiel and Eric Winston. The I-formation backfield is Steve Slaton and Vonta Leach
Of course there are situational variations that will bring David Anderson, Andre Davis, or Jacoby Jones in at wide receiver, and two tight end sets will likely pull Clear Brook Wolverine Anthony Hill into the mix.
In other words, the roster battles on the offense will be in the two-deep ranks where Antoine Caldwell (lock) will be battling with guys like Kasey Studdard, Chris White, and Adrian Jones at the interior line positions, and Mark Simmons or Darnell Jenkins push for WR4/5 action. Let's save that topic for another day.
The most obvious position battle among starters is on the defensive line where Deljuan Robinson (the new D-Rob), Frank Okam, Travis Johnson, and Shaun Cody will battle at defensive tackle.
Jerome Solomon wrote about Deljuan holding the advantage during OTAs.
“He’s been a starter since he walked on the field at OTAs, and he’s going to be tough to get out of there,” Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said of Robinson. “He’s earned the right, the players respect him, and we’re counting on him."
D-Rob 66 is strong, quick, disruptive and can play nose or 3-technique which means flexibility for the Texans as they implement their various defensive line rotations.
From a depth perspective, that could mean either Travis Johnson, Frank Okam, or Shaun Cody won't be on the 53 man roster on September 13 assuming everyone, including Amobi Okoye, stays healthy through pre-season. But the Texans took 5 DTs into Week 1 last season so it remains to be seen how the depth will stack up.
Mario Williams and Antonio Smith are set at defensive end, and Tim Bulman and Connor Barwin will be the situational guys backing them up.
At linebacker, Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans are set at Sam and Mike linebacker respectively, but things could get interesting at the Will during pre-season.
I would expect that Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith secretly want Xavier Adibi to win that job over Cato June since Adibi is the young draft pick and June is the veteran with a one year deal. But ultimately Kubiak will play the guy who's healthy and playing the best ball.
As long as Dunta Robinson remains disgruntled, and maybe even beyond, Jacques Reeves and Fred Bennett are the starting corners. Dunta needs to take a number whenever he decides to come back.
At safety, Eugene Wilson seems to be a lock but there is somewhat of an open competition between Dominique Barber and Nick Ferguson at strong.
Again, I think the coaches would prefer their younger players to take the reins wherever possible. The Texans secondary is the probably the best example of a stable unit personnel-wise that could be upgraded in quality across the board.
Last but not least is long snapper. Gone is Bryan Pittman who is now in Seattle after serving his suspension for violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Clark Harris replaced Pittman, but Harris is not a realistic option at tight end so the Texans could gain a roster spot if James Casey is able to long snap and backup at tight end.
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