The preseason has almost arrived for the Houston Texans. On Saturday, the team will take on the Minnesota Vikings in the team's first preseason contest.
There are plenty of questions for the Texans to answer this weekend, especially along the offensive line, as the team has already tried out a number of combinations during camp. That experimentation is likely to continue up until the last moment, so don't expect one bad preseason showing from an offensive lineman to lead to that player getting immediately cut.
But there are some players on the roster who can't afford a bad showing. Let's take a look at three players who need to have a strong showing on Saturday.
Dare Ogunbowale - Running Back
A funny thing has happened at Texans camp, which is that an assumed afterthought in the run game has made a very, very strong case for a roster spot.
With Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce both sidelined, Jawhar Jordan, who missed his rookie season with an oblique injury, has been one of the most impressive Texans players, which has really complicated the picture when it comes to who makes and doesn't make the final roster.
Jordan is currently pretty far back on the first official depth chart released by the team, but I'm not sure how much that really means in such a tight battle. Any misstep by any of the players outside of Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks could be the end of their time on the roster.
Irv Smith Jr. - Tight End
It was always going to be a numbers game for Irv Smith Jr. in Houston. No matter how well he looked in camp, he was the No. 5 tight end in the pecking order and needed two things to happen to steal a roster spot. First, he needed one of the top three guys to get injured. Second, he needed to clearly outplay seventh-round draft pick Luke Lachey.
Lachey is currently last on the Texans' depth chart at tight end, so maybe that part is getting accomplished, but with the trio of Dalton Schultz, Cade Stover and Brevin Jordan healthy, it's just hard to see Smith getting a shot in Houston. His path to the final roster was further complicated by the addition of fullback/tight end Dalton Keene on Tuesday.
Damon Arnette - Corner Back
Houston taking a shot on former first round pick Damon Arnette was a low-risk, high-reward move. It doesn't look like we're going to get the "high-reward" part.
Arnette is listed as third team on the current depth chart, and he's been playing like it in practice. It seems like every time I see highlights of caches by Texans receivers in practice, it's Arnette getting burned.
Some #Texans 1-on-1 reps for WRs/DBs.
— Sam Warren (@samwarren_3) August 5, 2025
Christian Kirk beats Jalen Pitre in slot.
Davis Mills and Nico Collins can’t connect on hitch against Kamari Lassiter.
John Metchie beats Derek Stingley on comeback.
Jayden Higgins with a strong catch against Damon Arnette. pic.twitter.com/TiaGWGb86g
Xavier Hutchinson just burned Damon Arnette for a 65 yard TD in 1v1 from C.J. Stroud.
— Jacob (@TexansJacob) August 2, 2025
Beautiful throw and route from them 2.
It just seems to speak volumes that no Texans reporter has been like "wow, Damon Arnette is making some good plays today!" Especially with Arnette being a former first-round pick, you'd think we'd just be hearing more about him if he was a real threat to make the roster. It's clear he isn't.