The Houston Texans will cut their roster to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Saturday. Here’s a projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Deshaun Watson, AJ McCarron, Joe Webb III
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said that during training camp, he’s seen Watson making passes that he wouldn’t have made two years ago -- something that comes from building chemistry with his targets. If Webb makes the team, it's because coach Bill O'Brien likes his versatility. Webb played mostly on special teams last year, but also played some wide receiver.
RUNNING BACK (4): Duke Johnson, Damarea Crockett, Taiwan Jones, Cullen Gillaspia (fullback)
This could change soon if the Texans sign or trade for a veteran running back after Lamar Miller tore his left ACL in Houston’s third preseason game. In this group, only Johnson and Jones have played in an NFL game. Jones and Gillaspia would contribute mostly on special teams.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, Keke Coutee, DeAndre Carter, Tyron Johnson
Coutee missed most of training camp after injuring his ankle in the preseason opener, and in his absence, Carter has received a lot of playing time. The Texans could go with Vyncint Smith, who made the roster as an undrafted free agent a year ago, over Johnson.
TIGHT END (4): Jordan Thomas, Jordan Akins, Darren Fells, Kahale Warring
Before the start of training camp, it was hard to see the Texans keeping four tight ends plus a fullback, but Fells has likely earned a spot. Warring, a third-round pick, has missed most of training camp, first with a hamstring injury, and then with a concussion. If the injuries linger for Warring, the Texans could put him on injured reserve and only keep three tight ends.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Matt Kalil, Tytus Howard, Nick Martin, Max Scharping, Senio Kelemete, Zach Fulton, Seantrel Henderson, Greg Mancz, Roderick Johnson
Cutting Martinas Rankin would mean giving up on a third-round pick from just last year, but the guard has not shown much in training camp. Houston could keep Rankin over Kelemete, but the veteran has been able to take advantage of his versatility during camp, and has even seen reps at center.
DEFENSIVE LINE (7): J.J. Watt, D.J. Reader, Brandon Dunn, Carlos Watkins, Angelo Blackson, Charles Omenihu, Joel Heath
The Texans’ front seven should continue to be one of the best in the NFL, and they could get help from Omenihu, whom defensive line coach Anthony Weaver said has stood out to him during the preseason. This projection includes Watkins, but if the Texans need a spot elsewhere, he could miss the cut.
LINEBACKER (7): Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus, Benardrick McKinney, Zach Cunningham, Dylan Cole, Brennan Scarlett, Peter Kalambayi
Regardless of Clowney’s status, the Texans could use more production from Mercilus this season. Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said he plans to move the linebacker around a little more than he did a year ago in hopes that Mercilus can return to his form from 2015 and 2016, when he led the team with 19.5 sacks over those two seasons.
SECONDARY (11): Johnathan Joseph, Bradley Roby, Aaron Colvin, Lonnie Johnson, Johnson Bademosi, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Justin Reid, Tashaun Gipson, Jahleel Addae, A.J. Moore, Chris Johnson
This projection has Boddy-Calhoun making the roster over sixth-round pick Xavier Crawford, as the rookie has not made much of an impact during training camp.
SPECIALIST (3): K Ka'imi Fairbairn, P Trevor Daniel, LS Jon Weeks
The Texans brought Bryan Anger to compete with Daniel, but the specialist group should stay the same as last season.