Every week of an NFL training camp is crucial to the formation of a team's 53-man roster, and this next week won't be an exception to the rule for the Houston Texans. Here are three things we've learned about them so far in training camp:
The QB competition continues
Second-year Texans head coach Bill O'Brien has been mums about who may have the edge between incumbent Ryan Mallett and the recently-signed Brian Hoyer. Neither Hoyer or Mallett have built even the slightest of advantages from an eye-test perspective either in OTAs or to begin training camp, so we expect the push and pull between the two contenders to dominate the camp headlines this week. Keep an eye on upstart Tom Savage as well. While we're not banking on him riding a rocket ship to the starting spot, he'll have a great chance to up his stock both in camp and in the team's preseason opener at home against the 49ers on Saturday.
The aftermath of Saturday's brawl
There are multiple conflicting stories out there about just what precipitated Saturday's full-on melee during a Texans/Redskins joint practice. There was plenty of jawing going on during a four-play stretch where each whistle was followed by a massive convergence of blue and white jerseys. All we know is that a hard-nosed Texans team tested the mettle of a Redskins squad that has been characterized by locker room dissonance as of late. While Washington responded in kind, this week's Texans practices should have an extra jump and edge to them.
Receiver depth chart still very much in the balance
DeAndre Hopkins is locked into the No. 1 receiver spot for the Texans, but every spot after that is up for grabs. Jaelen Strong, Alan Bonner, Nate Washington, and Keith Mumphrey have all played extremely well in flashes throughout camp, but no one player has separated themselves from the others. Expect this competition to come down to the final preseason game.
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