Texans’ Biggest Surprise Standouts From Preseason So Far

The Texans’ wide receiver room has been due for someone down the depth chart to stand out following the injury to Jayden Higgins, and third-year wideout Jared Wayne has stepped up to the occasion to do just that.

In game one of the Texans' preseason action, he hauled in Houston's only touchdown score of the day on an impressive red-zone catch on a ball from Davis Mills. He's totaled five receptions for 30 yards through two games, and is the only receiver on the roster to log multiple receptions in both games.

There's a lot of uncertainty as to what the Texans' receiver room will look like come Week 1. But Wayne's recent performance could be creating an extremely compelling case that makes him the final name at the position to make it onto the roster past cutdown day.

Marlin Klein | TE

Klein really needed a big preseason to showcase why the Texans invested in him so highly in April's draft with a second-round pick. And so far, he's done just that.

In Klein's first game, he had a game-high 31-yard reception that really put him on the map. In game two against the Raiders, Klein had an equally strong day with three catches on four targets for 31 yards.

Klein had a slow start to the Texans' offseason program earlier this summer, but his recent emergence could shoot him much further up the depth chart entering Week 1 from what anyone initially expected.

Wade Woodaz | LB

Woodaz seems likely to miss some time moving forward, as the rookie linebacker suffered a broken thumb in the Texans' second preseason game against the Raiders. But the sample size he's shown thus far is really promising for what his future will look like in this Houston defense.

Game one resulted in Woodaz putting together a quiet two tackles, but his second game against the Raiders is where he really shined: two total tackles, a pass defended, and an interception returned 80 yards for a touchdown on this year's No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza.

Time will tell how long it'll be until Woodaz is back in the fold, and whether or not he starts the season on injured reserve. But when he is back, there's a pretty solid chance he finds his way to that LB3 role on the depth chart that's been wide open since E.J. Speed's been out with a torn quad.

Aiden Fisher | LB

The Texans selected two linebackers in April's draft. And so far, both of them have been exceeding expectations when factoring in how well seventh-round pick Aiden Fisher has been producing through two showings.

Game one against the Chargers saw Fisher log a game-high seven combined tackles and one tackle for loss. Game two saw him collect a similarly impressive six combined tackles, which tied for second-highest on the Texans' defense in tackles behind Brandon Codrington.

Combining the recent injuries in the room with the performances of Fisher might be the perfect storm for Fisher to be someone who sneaks onto a 53-man roster spot, so long as he keeps the momentum going into this week's game against Carolina.

Jaylen Reed | S

Fifth-round rookie Kamari Ramsey deserves a shoutout for his interception on Trey Lance against the Chargers in week one of the preseason. But another safety in the room who's also performed well through two games is second-year talent Jaylen Reed, who's done nothing but produce strong numbers.

He has a combined 11 tackles with a pass defended in two games. He's one of three players with double-digit tackles through both games alongside Aiden Fisher and cornerback Stephen Hall.

Reed's chances to make the Week 1 roster were already pretty solidified entering training camp, but production like this certainly does lock that status in even further for what appears to be a deep and versatile safety room.