Texans gritty rookie Keylan Rutledge: 'Not scared, lot of fight'

In the spring, Texans Pro Bowl middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair spoke with respect and an amused reaction about the intense playing style of rookie offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge.

Rutledge has been a menace throughout training camp and is turning heads as he pushes for the starting job in an ongoing competition with returning starter Jake Andrews.

The gritty first-round draft pick from Georgia Tech planted Al-Shaair on the ground.

He got into a shoving match with rookie defensive tackle Kaylen McDonald on Tuesday. He also has mixed it up with defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Ali Gaye.

"He plays with a chip on his shoulder, plays the game the right way, works hard at that position and it doesn't take a whole lot of talent," Al-Shaair said. "Obviously, talent will take you really far, but I feel like especially early on, before you even know all the techniques and all that, it's more of a mindset. You're the first line of defense for the quarterback and you have to have the right mentality. I think he does that.”

Al-Shaair is thoroughly enjoying the back and forth with Rutledge, matching up against him frequently. And he has been mentoring the rookie.

"I always feel bad punching him in the chest with no pads," Al-Shaair said. "He's bringing it and I'm like, ‘Okay, well he's bringing it, so I guess I have to try to bring it.’ It was just good because the mentality in general, like pads, no pads, he's just trying to work hard.

"The thing I always talk to him about is just working smart. That's a different level of being a pro. I think I'd rather tell you to slow down or be smart than to tell you, ‘Hey man, you got to pick it up.’ I feel like to see him doing that, I got up and I'm not mad at it. I play the game hard, too. For me, especially knowing him as a rookie and what he's trying to accomplish and what our team is trying to accomplish, I was happy with it.”

The toughness is obvious with Rutledge. He's building his legend every day.

“I love him," running back Woody Marks said. "He's the guy who’s going to show up on film every time with toughness. You could kind of see it with him and Azeez. He’s not scared of anybody. He isn’t going to back down.

"He has a lot of fight, he wants to be feisty. He wants the chance to attack. It doesn’t matter who it is. He’s going to go after him. You sometimes have to pull back on him, but we like to see that fire coming out of a rookie on the offensive line.”

Source: Texans signing receiver-returner Montrell Washington

The Texans are signing former Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos wide receiver Montrell Washington after a successful workout, per a league source.

Washington is a former Broncos fifth-round draft pick from Samford.

He played for the Chiefs, earning a Super Bowl ring.

He was with the New York Giants last season and the D.C. Defenders this year in the United Football League

Washington has played in 22 career games. He has 40 punt returns, averaging 8.3 yards, and 20 kickoff returns for 18.7 yards per return.

With the Broncos as a rookie, he had four catches for two yards and five runs for 30 yards.

He's primarily being added as a return candidate.

NOTES: Wide receiver Jayden Higgins got behind All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., beating press coverage to create separation for a touchdown catch on a well-thrown football from quarterback C.J. Stroud. It was another impressive day from Higgins. And Stroud congratulated Higgins and has been talking up the former Iowa State standout throughout training camp and this offseason. As a rookie, Higgins caught 41 passes for 525 yards and six touchdowns. Now, his role is set to expand in his second NFL season. “I expect him to be a dominant force," Stroud said. "A guy who can make plays on the first, second and third levels. I think he's gotten better. I think he's learning and he's listening more. I wanted to take steps on where he can grow past this the things that he's already good at.” ... There was a scary collision between Pro Bowl middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and tight end Dalton Schultz. Both were down for a while before they walked off the field gingerly under their own power. Al-Shaair shook it off, adding that he felt "great" after practice. "I'm just running to the ball and Schultz is running to the ball and we both just ran into each other," Al-Shaair said. "That wasn't me running to him, that wasn't him running to me. We were both just trying to find the ball. That's what the game can do. We weren't even trying to run into each other and that's what can happen. Let alone if I'm looking at him, he's looking at me and we're trying to run head up with each other. That's just a part of the game. You try not to think about it, you just know that that’s the part that comes with it.” ... Undrafted rookie corner Collin Wright intercepted third-string quarterback Graham Mertz. Wright is a former Manvel standout who played collegiately at Stanford. ... Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver D.J. Turner was placed on injured reserve. ... Rookie wide receiver Lewis Bond, off to a fast start since being drafted out of Boston College, caught a touchdown pass in coverage against cornerback Alijah Huzzie. ... Al-Shaair, suspended previously for a concussion-causing hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, discussed his hard-nosed approach to the game and referenced the high-profile incident. ... "When you go back to 2024 with everything that happened with me and Trevor, it's a super fast, aggressive, violent sport," Al-Shaair said. "I don't think the NFL likes to use those words because they're trying to expand the game with flag football, which is great if it's my kids. They're not playing tackle football until they are older than I was when I started. I probably wouldn't even let my kids play tackle football until they're about 14, 15 years old. The reality of the game is that it's aggressive. It's violent. Even go back to San Francisco, [Head] Coach Kyle [Shanahan], got into a car accident and man, concussion, all this stuff. I checked on him and I remember he's like, ‘Man, now I see what you guys go through with these concussions, it's crazy.’ I think we all know what we sign up for." .... Backup running back Woody Marks lost the football when Al-Shaair punched the football out. “It was a quick turn," Marks said. "I have to turn quick and just tuck the ball quicker. I just have to get my head around faster." ... Marks has dropped weight from his rookie season to adjust to playing more as a receiver this season. He looks faster and quicker this year. “Yeah, I was around about 217, 218 pounds last year," said Marks, who's down to 212 pounds. "I feel more explosive and faster getting out my cuts and running routes and sinking my hips.” ... Rookie punter Jack Stonehouse had a rough day with lower hang time days after his competition, Kai Kroeger, struggled. They're competing to be the replacement for Tommy Townsend, a former All-Pro selection who's now with the Kansas City Chiefs.

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