Biggest Texans Minicamp Winners & Losers: Who Shined, Who Didn't

The Texans' offensive line saw multiple combinations across the three days of practice that shows the staff is far from certain about who this five-man starting group will be heading into the year. That won't be fully worked out until the pads come on in training camp.

However, in the multiple combinations upfront that arose in minicamp, one name who kept popping up on the first team was Trent Brown—who was re-signed to the roster this offseason on a one-year, $7 million deal, and might already be trending towards a bigger role than initially anticipated.

He's filling in for an injured Braden Smith at right tackle. So once healthy, he'll be set to take on a much tougher competition. Yet, after seeing the Texans clearly view him as a reliable swing tackle, there might be a slim chance he steals that starting tackle spot opposite of Aireontae Ersery.

Loser: Braden Smith

On the flip side, it'd be hard not to consider Braden Smith a loser in the equation that Trent Brown seems to be winning in.

Of course, Smith is injured from his lingering neck issue stemming from last season. So there's a good case the Texans give him a real shot at landing that right tackle spot when he's healthy, which seems like it'll be at training camp.

Losing reps to a tenured veteran in the room like Brown does tend to hurt Smith's stock just a little bit, though. And by already having to deal with injury troubles before his first season in Houston, it tends to highlight the initial concerns that were had when the Texans first signed Smith: he's a solid tackle, but can he stay healthy?

Winner: Jaylin Noel

Of anyone in the Texans wide receiver room to make the most noise at minicamp, it'd be hard to look anywhere but in the direction of Jaylin Noel, who had multiple touchdown connections with C.J, Stroud across multiple days, and stood out as the clear top option in the slot for Houston's air attack.

The practice reps and production tend to match up well with some of Noel's comments across the week: he's expecting to get a much bigger role in the Texans' offense this year, and he's more than ready to take on the opportunity.

If able to keep up the momentum in training camp and preseason, there's going to be little question about who the Texans' WR3 will be behind Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins.

Loser: Texans' UDFAs

The Texans have 12 undrafted free agents currently on the 90-man roster. And while none can truly be counted out from making a late run to being one of the last names to stay onboard past cutdown day before Week 1, there hasn't really been anyone to separate themselves from the pack.

Of anyone in the mix that's got the best chance to get a bid on the roster, punter Jack Stonehouse out of Syracuse continues to be in an intriguing competition with former New Orleans Saints punter Kai Kroeger. But there's no guarantees he'll win out.

Outside of Stonehouse, you'd then have to count on guys like Daniel Sobkowicz to make some noise in a crowded wide receiver room, or someone like Sebastian Harsh to gain traction as a depth piece at edge. That'll be easier said than done.

Winner: Brevin Jordan

The Texans' competition in the tight end room is bound to be tough entering the season. But despite that, Brevin Jordan has wasted no time in making his mark as someone with a real chance to claim one of the final spots on the depth chart at the position.

Smith saw rave reviews in OTAs and minicamp as someone who's stood out as a vertical threat at the position. Having come off back-to-back season-ending injuries, it becomes especially impressive to see him catch his stride so early in the offseason, and makes him a key name to watch between now and cutdown day.

There is caution to be had when buying stock in Jordan, though. Not only will he have to ensure he can stay healthy between now and the start of the year, but he'll still have work to do in order to carve out a real role in this offense, rather than just being a depth piece for security.

Loser: Marlin Klein

One name in the tight end room who didn't see his stock trend in the same direction as Jordan's: second-round rookie Marlin Klein, who was held out from being a full participant in practice due to a strained hamstring.

It's a bad time for any rookie––especially one drafted as highly as Klein was––to be held out from practice with an injury as nagging as a hamstring can be. Combine that with the tough competition in the tight end room, and the timing creates an even bigger uphill battle for Klein to take on to climb up the depth chart.

The good thing for Klein is that he'll have a little over a month to rest and get right before training camp arrives and his workload ramps up. But there's no doubt that he has work to do in order to prove the Texans right in investing as highly as they did in him with a top-60 pick in the draft.