Why Texans 'moved on' from punter Jack Stonehouse

The Texans are down to one punter on the roster after releasing rookie Jack Stonehouse, effectively leaving Kai Kroeger in the driver's seat to win the starting job.

Stonehouse had his ups and downs with directional punting and the team felt like it was a smoother kicking operation with kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn with Kroeger holding for him. Stonehouse has a stronger leg than Kroeger, but his delivery wasn't quite at the level of a more experienced punter.

“We decided to go with Kroeger, right now," Texans coach DeMeco Ryan said. "He's done a very good job of being consistent out here in practice and I just wanted to get our operation as clean as possible with the same three guys working together, getting us ready to go for the season.”

The Texans want to continue to build up Kroeger by having him take all the punting reps and holds.

“We moved on from Jack Stonehouse," Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross said. "It doesn't matter who's out there, we're always there to prove ourselves every day. It's a hard business and decisions are tough, but it's important for continuity of our group to make sure that specialists are working together and we could really devote our attention to some specific people."

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.

"I could just see the operation and cleanliness where it has been with Kai," Ross said when asked how he arrived at the decision. "It did hit me and it passed the eye test. We have to keep growing it forward. But once it passed the eye test, you see him working with his teammates, meaning the snapper and kicker in a certain way, I felt good about that. We'll keep it moving forward.”

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.

“Big word, consistency," Ross said. "Our job in the operation is to be consistent every time we walk out on the field. He's done a good job of taking strides forward from where we started with him. We just believe that time on task will only continue to improve that.

"Let's play small ball. Let's do the little things right before we open our game up. I think that's been the message to him and I think he's received it well. He’s executed well and I’m excited to see where he goes. Really thrilled about it so far.”

The Texans worked out free agent punters Trenton Gill and Jack Browning last week, but didn't immediately sign them to a contract.

"We're always looking," Ross said. "It doesn't matter what position you are. That’s the truth, we're always working players out. We're always looking to upgrade. That part of the game will never change, so it doesn't really matter.

"We have a nice field goal operation. We have to improve it. I think having Kai here through the first few weeks here at camp, has been really good. He had another nice field goal set here tonight. He's a big part of that operation. Anybody who's handling the football for us will always be."

On Saturday night, the special teams competition got heated. There were some physical plays involving rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz, tight end Marlin Klein and defensive end Solomon Byrd.

“I got a little blood on the shirt," Ross said. "We were getting a little competitive in our kick return individual drill. That was a drill. That was one. Watching Wade Woodaz in the fire, the intensity, I try to make sure our players know at the very minimum, the personality, the identity of your coach is asking you to get in the fight, stay in the fight and be aggressive. I'm really excited to watch him. Now, he has room to grow.

"But watching Wade, watching Solomon Byrd, watching our young linebackers, that was exciting. I’m really looking forward to letting those guys get out there and spin their wheels a little bit here in the preseason games to show when the real bullets are flying what they can do. I’m fired up about those guys.”

Night off for most Texans starters vs. Chargers

The Texans have a tradition of holding out the majority of their starters in the first preseason game.

They are expected to follow suit again Thursday nightagainst the Los Angeles Chargers.

Last season, quarterback C.J. Stroud didn't play along with several other starters.

Backup quarterback Davis Mills started and played for one drive, throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Braxton Berrios.

“For our preseason game against the Chargers, we'll have a select group of guys who will not go out of play," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said.

The Texans plan to utilize this game at Reliant Stadium to evaluate the depth on the roster.

It's an important night for punter Kai Kroeger, third linebacker candidates Wade Woodaz and Marte Mapu and several other players locked into competitions.

“In the first preseason game, I'm really looking for those guys who are on the back end of the roster, seeing them go out and compete for an opportunity to be a part of our team this season," Ryans said. "To see those guys get as many reps as they can handle and to see who's going to show up on game day. We've installed a lot. We've coached up the fundamentals and techniques. Now, can they go do it when the coaches aren't on the field? When nobody's coaching you up after every single play, but can you go out and be a true pro and execute your craft at a high level against different competitions. That's what I'm looking forward to the most.”

NOTES: The Texans signed wide receiver Juwan Winfree. They placed linebacker Sione Takitaki on injured reserve. Takitaki has a Grade 1 strained hamstring, per a league source. ... Texans rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, a second-round draft pick and former Big Ten Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year, is off to a fast start. McDonald has displayed a low pad level and a powerful charge. "Kayden has been progressing really well as a rookie," There was a huge learning curve for him, but he's doing a good job of being attentive to what we're asking him to do. I see the steps of him towards getting better, mainly just keeping his pad level low. That's where we've been straining him the most is just low man wins in football. He has to continue to work on that. He’s very strong, a very strong kid. He just has to play to his strengths and he'll continue to get better.” ... The Texans restructured the contract for center-guard Jarrett Patterson, per a league source. He's due $1.795 million this season, including a fully guaranteed $1.145 million base salary, a $400,000 signing bonus and $1.545 million fully guaranteed. His salary-cap figure is down to $1.837 million, down from $3.716 million, with his base salary of $3.674 million lowered. Patterson, because of his versatility, is a strong contender to make the 53-man roster again. "Patterson has been solid since he's been here," Ryans said. "He’s a guy who we've counted on to do center, also moving over to guard. He's played right guard, left guard. That's a smart player who's accountable. He's going to be where he needs to be and he fights. He's a competitive guy and that's why he's stuck around for a while.” ... Tight end Brevin Jordan, battling for a roster spot, has missed four practices in a row with a knee injury. He missed the past two seasons with a torn patellar tendon and a torn anterior cruciate ligament. "Brevin's dealing with a knee right now, so he's kind of day-to-day," Ryans said. "We'll see how it goes with him.”

Sources: Texans' Jawhar Jordan strains hip flexor

Texans third running back Jawhar Jordan sustained a strained hip flexor and is expected to be out roughly a week, per league sources.

Under that timetable, Jordan would miss the Texans' preseason opener.

The Texans signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Owen Wright to add depth to the backfield.

Jordan has excelled at training camp. He rushed for a career-high 101 yards on 15 runs in a win over the Arizona Cardinals last season.

He has been established as the third running back throughout camp and the off-season.

Undrafted rookie running back Noah Whittington has had his moments, stacking several good runs. The former Oregon standout is expected to have an increased workload with Jordan sidelined.

"He's on his own program relative to that," Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley said. "He's gotten a lot better. I think you saw Jawhar, when he got his opportunities, we saw what happened in practice manifest itself in the game. I did think he hit this offseason with some confidence.

"He doesn't say a whole lot. He's steady as heck. You're seeing a guy that's pretty confident and he's done a really good job out here for us. I certainly think the more you play, you're champing at the bit to get more and he's wired the right way for sure."

NOTES: All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr. returned to practice after a rest day Saturday. ... It was a dominant night for the defense. Defensive end Will Anderson Jr. sacked quarterback C.J. Stroud after busting past a blocking attempt by Trent Brown, the first of two sacks. Pro Bowl middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair stuffed running back David Montgomery for no gain. Free safety Calen Bullock picked off Stroud. Reserve corner Brandon Codrington intercepted third quarterback Graham Mertz. Kamari Lassiter ripped the football away from receivers. Danielle Hunter applied a ton of heat off the edge. Linebacker Henry To'oTo'o had multiple tackles for losses. Despite the success, defensive coordinator Matt Burke wasn't satisfied. “It was okay," Burke said. "We made some plays. I wasn't happy with the way we started practice, to be honest with you. Some of those scripted periods, too much in that short yardage period. I thought when we got into the call-up periods, those guys started playing. Part of the intent was to kind of push them through this little bit longer drives, a little bit longer sessions than we kind of been going at a time. For those guys to push through when you’re really taxing mentally and when you're tired. It’s can you execute some of the stuff we're doing? We tried to put them in a lot of different spots and with a lot of different calls. I’m happy with the way that the execution really turned out.” ... Rookie tight end Marlin Klein has had his moments as an improving pass-catching presence. ... Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins returned to practice the past two days after a day off. ... Tight end Brevin Jordan hasn't practiced three days in a row. He hasn't experienced a serious injury, as he has previously when he tore his patellar tendon last year and his anterior cruciate ligament two years ago. Missing practice time, though, is critical as he competes with Cade Stover and Klein as depth behind starter Dalton Schultz and backup Foster Moreau. "Brevin really had a good start to camp," DeMeco Ryans said. "He's still progressing along, still trying to take care of him the right way, but Brevin has done a really good job.” ... Wide receiver Jared Wayne is having a good training camp. "Jared Wayne is showing up every time he's on the field," Ryans said. "He's always making plays, not just this camp. He's made plays since he's been here. He’s a big, tall target, smart guy. He can move around. He plays all three wide receiving positions, he is a guy that we can count on. He shows up making a lot of big plays down the field. A lot of contested catches. He finds a way to come down with the ball.” Overall, Ryans is pleased with how training camp has gone so far. There have been few injuries and not a lot of fights. The offense has been much more competitive against a great defense than previous years . “Our team is doing a really nice job," Ryans said. "What you look for in camp, for me, you look for that competitive nature. Back and forth, both sides making plays. That's what we see, every day someone is making a big play. If someone makes a bad play, nobody's down about it. It's okay, how do we come back? How do we respond in a positive manner with that next play mentality? That's how our guys are responding. It's been great going against each other, but I think it's starting to get to that time where it's time to play a game against someone else. Our guys have done a great job all camp.” ... The toughness of rookie center and first-round draft pick Keylan Rutledge is obvious. At times, he's gotten under the skin of defensive players and gotten into a few scraps. "We love that, man," Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter said. "That's the biggest thing. Offensive linemen, they're supposed to be like that. They’re supposed to come in mean and aggressive and all that. We love everything we've seen from him so far. The biggest thing for him is just being able to build up and get game experience. He's going to be pretty solid." ... Wide receiver Tank Dell continues to be limited to individual drills. The Texans are going to ease him along carefully. "I think just continue to bring him along and just continue to have exposures to our route tree, to our different schemes in the past concepts that we have," Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley said. "He's been studying like crazy now for the last year. He's been involved, but it's different now when he's out here. He's soaking up more and more. I think just taking it day-by-day and just being able to build off of it. Not having any expectations other than just continuing to grow and continuing to learn and soak up the details and then getting some real speed out here, too, is great. Especially the timing with the quarterbacks and stuff like that."

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL insider for KPRC 2 and Sports Talk 790. He also has a YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AaronWilsonSport

Chris Gordy