C.J. Stroud, Texans starters to play against Raiders

The plan for the Texans' second preseason game is to have every healthy starter compete Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Texans rested the starters in the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers except for their starting offensive line.

A year ago, quarterback C.J Stroud played two series against the Carolina Panthers in the second preseason game and then sat out the third and final preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

“As I stand here today versus the Raiders, I'm anticipating everyone who's healthy to go out and play," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said.

The Texans have a joint practice Tuesday with the Raiders, whose roster includes quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, the first overall pick of the draft, star edge Maxx Crosby, running back Ashton Jeanty, who dominated the top-ranked defense in the NFL last season as a rookie and tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer.

"We'll have a really good competitive practice against the Raiders," Ryans said of a team coached by Klint Kubiak, Gary Kubiak's son. "They're going to give us a lot of good looks, good competition, really good talent, especially at the running back position is talented.

"They’re talented at tight end, their offensive line is fast. They have a defensive end as well, Maxx Crosby. For our guys to be able to go against a really talented team it’s going to be very beneficial to us and really help us progress and get better as camp is going on.”

The tempo at practice heated up Saturday. It was a long, hot workout.

“A lot of good intensity," Ryans said. "Guys were flying around, guys were just having fun playing football. You can sense and feel the energy from our guys all across the field. I thought the guys had a really good day. Primarily, our first group getting most of the reps because they didn't play in the game. There was really good energy at practice, good start to the week. We'll see how we continue to progress throughout.”

NOTES: Stroud was intercepted by All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. Stingley swooped in for the pick on a deep ball that hung in the air too long and was intended for wide receiver Justin Watson. ... Stroud delivered a 35-yard strike on a well-thrown sideline pass to wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson. Hutchinson is listed as a starter on the depth chart. He is expected to have a solid role again. ... Not practicing for the Texans: cornerbacks Ja'Marcus Ingram (shoulder dislocation) and Collin Wright (strained leg muscle), running backs British Brooks (broken hand, surgery), Jawhar Jordan (strained hip flexor), tight end Brevin Jordan (knee), wide receiver Jaylin Noel (right pinkie finger, strained hamstring), nickel Jalen Pitre (undisclosed).and linebacker Jake Hansen (ankle). Hansen is making progress, working out on a side practice field along with safety M.J. Stewart, who's on the physically unable to perform list after tearing his quadriceps tendon last season. ... Wide receiver Tank Dell participated in individual and full-team drills with zero targets in team work. ... Rookie safety Kamari Ramsey has played nickel, too, with Pitre sidelined. Ramsey intercepted a pass against the Chargers, picking off Trey Lance and returned the errant throw 42 yards. .. "With Kamari’s growth, what I've seen is a guy who's very smart," Ryans said. "We're starting to throw a couple more things at him to see if he can handle dual position roles. We'll try to mix it up. Try to get him down a nickel a little bit, then move him back to safety. He's handled both well in the classroom in a meeting setting. He just has to come out and do the physical reps, but he's a guy you can put a lot on mentally. He's absorbed it really well. He had one pick in the game, which is great, should have had another one there on the sideline. On that particular play, you talk about excellent technique from him. Being exactly where he's supposed to be reading the quarterback the proper way pushing through as a buzz defender, really great job by him.” ... Three-time Pro Bowl edge Jadeveon Clowney had one sack and two tackles for losses. "Jadeveon has done a really good job," Ryans said. "He's still picking up the scheme and how we do things, but he's done a really good job with the rest that he's getting.” ... Starting linebacker Henry To'oTo'o had a tackle for a loss on a screen pass to running back Woody Marks. ... Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, an accomplished interior pass rusher, beat right guard Ed Ingram for a sack. ...

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

Texans new QB Brett Rypien: 'Very sharp guy'

The Texans officially signed veteran quarterback Brett Rypien after a season-ending knee injury suffered by third quarterback Graham Mertz.

Rypien, 30, has played for multiple NFL teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals last season.

Rypien has previous stints with the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos.

A former Boise State standout and the nephew of former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, Rypien has completed 58.3 percent of his career passes for 950 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has a 2-2 record as a starter.

He overlapped with Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley with the Rams. At Boise State, he passed for 13,581 yards and 90 touchdowns.

"A guy who's bounced around a few different teams has some experience has played in game," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. "You can see he's a very sharp guy. He's picked up on the offense ready to take some reps. We’re thankful to be able to get him in at this time to help us out during camp.”

Mertz suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, an MRI confirmed, after injuring his right knee against the Los Angeles Chargers. He tore the ACL in his left knee in college at the University of Florida. He will undergo surgery and be placed on injured reserve, ending his season.

“Really unfortunate news for Graham for him to have torn his ACL," Ryans said. "He's battled. He's done a good job all camp, the past two years he's done a really good job of handling his role the proper way. He's encouraged. He's taking it the right way. I'm just excited to see him on his road to recovery. He'll do a great job with that."

NOTES: The Texans placed running back Josh Pitsenberger, an undrafted free agent from Yale, on injured reserve due to an ankle injury. He was the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year. ... The Texans re-signed rookie tight end Louis Hansen, an undrafted free agent from Connecticut who transferred from Michigan. Tight end Brevin Jordan remains sidelined with a knee injury. Hansen caught 46 passes for 464 yards and four touchdowns at Connecticut. ... The Texans worked out former Houston cornerback Ka'dar Hollman, who has been working his way back and his healthy now after a torn anterior cruciate ligament two seasons ago. He wasn't immediately signed to a contract, per a league source, and there is no current plan to add him to the roster.

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