How the Texans are running punter competition between Jack Stonehouse, Kai Kroeger

By Aaron Wilson

The Texans are staging a hotly contested punter competition between Kai Kroeger and rookie Jack Stonehouse.

They are vying to be the replacement for Tommy Townsend, who's now the Tennessee Titans punter.

Kroeger was the New Orleans Saints’ punter last season and was acquired in an offseason trade, a swap of a 2028 sixth-round pick from the Texans in exchange for Kroeger and a 2028 seventh-round selection.

Stonehouse went undrafted out of Syracuse and signed a rookie free agent deal that includes $75,000 guaranteed.

A former undrafted free agent from South Carolina where he was an All-American selection and All-Southeastern Conference selection, Kroeger averaged 44.8 yards for the Saints. He had 18 punts land inside opponents’ 20-yard lines. He had two blocked punts, impacting his average.

An All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection at Syracuse who averaged a school-record 47.1 yards per punt last season, Stonehouse had a long punt of 64 yards last season.

While the Texans utilize the daily practice routine to evaluate both players, the preseason games count even more.

“When the lights are on, you're going to see who's performed the most," Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross said. "We’re always going to be fleshing things out on the practice field grass. We need to improve and improve quickly. Both Kai Kroeger and Jack Stonehouse have done a good job to this point.

"I'm not going to decide the punting battle, the play is going to decide the punting battle. There are just a couple things we're looking for there, consistency, being a great holder, being great in the midfield area and controlling field position. Make sure we give ourselves long fields, being consistent at that position. I’m excited for the opportunity for both of those young guys and they’re good people, making our room better.”

Stonehouse, whose father and cousin played in the NFL, had six touchbacks, and 25 fair catches. He set a school career record with a 45.8 yards per punt average.

Stonehouse went to the NFL scouting combine and East-West Shrine Bowl. He participated in the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers’ local prospect days and met privately with the San Francisco 49ers. A Missouri transfer, his average hang time was 4.29 seconds, fourth in the nation.

Stonehouse has shown a lot of power and distance so far, but it’s early in the competition. The preseason games will likely be a major determining factor in the winner.

“For Jack,we saw a guy that’s very consistent,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said of Stonehouse, the third-highest graded punter in the nation last year. “He has a very strong leg. He does a great job of booting the ball. He had a really good first day today. You can hear the ball coming off his foot. That’s the thing that stood out about him today.”

“Having that healthy competition is only going to make that position better when it comes to the punter position. We’ve got Kai Kai’s done it in the league and now adding Jack is going to be really healthy competition coming through training camp.”

The Texans have back Ka’imi Fairbairn on an extension that averages $6.5 million annually as one of the highest paid kickers in the league.

Fairbairn tied David Akers’ NFL record with 44 field goals last season.

“That's a strong word, the word legacy," Ross said. "Houstonians should be proud of Ka’imi Fairbairn. Because of the person, because of the work, because of the consistency and what I've noticed, the two words for you about Fairbairn for this year are the leadership and the competitive. I’m proud of him and excited to see him this year. We all should be.”

Figuring out the punter competition hinges strongly on how good they are at holding for Fairbairn's field goal tries.

“Yeah, if it's not there, then it's a fatal mark in the skill set and it can't happen," Ross said. "You can't be the punter. Part of your job description, your goal is to be the best holder in the NFL. Everything we do is precision. When you talk about field goal operations, that's points, that's winning games.

"At the end of it, it should come down to No. 15's foot. We need to have somebody that can hold it on repeat in all elements, dealing with any adversity or snap location or variability as possible. In summary, it's going to be a big part of whoever wins that job for us.”

Long snapper Austin Brinkman returns after a strong rookie season as the replacement for Jon Weeks.

“Austin Brinkman, super proud,” Ross said. “He’s changed his body for the better, so very proud of that, the process. Nobody’s doing it, he’s doing that work.”

The Texans added former starting running back Woody Marks to the mix as a kickoff returner candidate. The Texans plan to have two kickoff returners. Marks, the leading rusher for the Texans last season, could wind up as the main kickoff returners and third-down back behind starter David Montgomery

“Who do you want back there?” Ross said. “I want a fast player, right? Good vision, good ball security, but I want guys that can do it on repeat, sustain running through the smoke with physicality and falling forward. Receivers don’t necessarily run in the trash as much as running backs.

“So having a guy like Woody to be in our depth and as potentially a starter if he can win that job, man, that really benefits our team. Woody’s been dynamic with his running skill set. Now let’s continue to master fielding the ball, running your tracks, and setting up your blockers.”

Jaylin Noel has run the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds. He averaged 10.8 yards per punt return as a rookie and 27.6 yards per kickoff return.

And he’s been tutored this spring by former NFL All-Pro returner Darren Sproles, who’s with the Texans on a Bill Walsh coaching fellowship.

“You can’t coach speed, right?” Ross said. “Dynamic speed. We’re going to start there, and that’s going to make up for a lot of it. Jaylin Noel is tougher than his size or stature may look. I don’t get star stuck very often, but that was unique for me.

“What he and I have been talking about is how can we get Jaylin to slow down instead of try to circle everybody like he’s been doing his whole life. We’ve been doing some drills with him, and he is tough, and he is a worker and willing to listen. Everything that we’ve asked to learn how to cut vertically, he’s been working on. So, I think you’re going to see dividends of that come this season.”

The Texans signed a formidable special-teams contributor during free agency, adding linebacker Jack Hummel on a two-year, $4.75 million deal. Hummel hasn't practiced the past few days.

“One my favorite things now is pulling from that bag when I’m watching and preparing for opponents, I’m evaluating what we have to defend or stop,” Ross said. “We played against that guy. Man, he was good. You talk to your players, ‘Hey, what was he like to go against? That guy’s a horse.’ So, when we’re playing against Baltimore a year ago, when we’re watching the Rams tape from Jake Hummel, he shows up, and it’s hard for our guys to go against him.

“So, when we’re game planning for that specific player a year ago and he comes up in free agency and then he gets in your building. So, fired up to have him. He gets in your building, and he’s everything I could ask for: Super hard worker, cares about the kicking game, wants to get better on defense, going to contribute to the Texans’ recipe on football Sundays to get a win. Sign me up. Just proud and happy to have him here. He’s done a great job this spring. Fired up for Hummel.”

The Texans added rookie linebackers Wade Woodaz and Aiden Fisher in the fourth round and seventh round, respectively. Both are slated for special teams duties.

“Just watch the tape and watch the tenacity and ferocity those two play with,” Ross said. “Those two guys have done an outstanding job of setting their own table up for success by building good habits. Man, they’re meeting with the special teams coach extra. They’re staying after.

“I’m sweating and getting in the rain because I’m staying after doing work on the field with one of those rookie linebackers. That, to me, is how you build your team. Those guys have done it at the highest level of college football. Excited to see where they can go. Sign me up for those guys.”