Three takeaways from Houston Texans' training camp

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- General manager Nick Caserio spent time downplaying the chatter and Super Bowl hype surrounding the Houston Texansby saying "talking never won games."

"We're not going to spend any time on things that really, quite frankly, don't matter," Caserio said. "Our expectations for the players is to come in, have a good attitude, put a good foundation in place, be a great teammate, be resilient, because we're going to face some things as a team. What's said outside of the building? I mean, it has no impact on anything that we do."

Last season the Texans were one of the biggest surprises, with rookie quarterbackC.J. Stroudleading them to the divisional round of the playoffs. So it'll be hard for them to fly under the radar again, especially after adding the likes of receiver Stefon Diggs, running back Joe Mixon and pass rusher Danielle Hunter.

But the Texans have preached that it's about the work and not the noise. They were the first team to start training camp practice on July 18 and played in the Hall of Fame game in a rain-shortened affair against the Chicago Bears on Thursday.

The Texans stayed in Canton, Ohio, through the weekend for the Hall of Fame induction of Houston's all-time receiving leader Andre Johnson and began a three-day practice period in the Cleveland area at University School -- Hunting Valley Campus in Chagrin Falls -- before they head to Pittsburgh for their next preseason game.

Houston didn't play its starters in the Hall of Fame game, but on Monday, coach DeMeco Ryans said they would play against theSteelers.

But before they take the field, here are three takeaways from camp:

The defense is ahead of the offense

The defense has had practices where it has forced multiple interceptions, sacks and fumbles through almost three weeks. There's been positive moments for the offense when Stroud and Diggs have connected for big gains or touchdowns in the red zone. But that hasn't been consistent and that's because of the defense.

The three biggest standouts are linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair(who intercepted Stroud on Monday), cornerbackDerek Stingley Jr. and Hunter. Al-Shaair has been disruptive by constantly stopping run plays and being effective in coverage. Texans teammates have raved about his leadership through accountability.Will Anderson Jr. mentioned after minicamp how Al-Shaair told him to "stop f---ing pouting" during a June practice because Anderson was disappointed with himself following a play.

"Azeez has done a great job of leading our football team," Ryans said. "He brings energy every day. He brings passion, and I know everybody feels that on our team -- not just defensively. I'm very pleased with where Azeez is. He's continuing to show that the leadership aspect of what we do is really important."

In the secondary, Stingley is building on a 2023 season when he finished with five interceptions (tied for fourth) in 11 games. Through a couple weeks of camp, the former 2022 No. 3 pick hasn't allowed many big catches and has caught two interceptions and forced a fumble. Both of his interceptions came while covering wide receiver Tank Dell, and he's had pass breakups against Nico Collins.

"Stingley has done great throughout camp," Ryans said. "He's made some plays. He's been consistent throughout camp as well. He's showing up every day. ... I think it's another big year ahead of Stingley. He just continues to build off of each and every day."

Hunter replaced the team's sack leader from last season --Jonathan Greenard-- and so far the gamble on the former Viking makes sense. He's caused issues for the Texans' pass protection, occasionally getting to Stroud quickly after the snap. Other times he's helped collapse the pocket, which allowed other lineman to pressure Stroud.

"Danielle is a great player," right tackle Tytus Howard said. "The best thing I can say about Danielle is going against him so far in practice he is very unpredictable. He has an unorthodox type of rush, and you can't be like, I am going to do this every single play. You have to be ready to change up and prepare for something different every time."

The offense is a work in progress

The star-studded offense has been uneven throughout camp. Stroud has shown frustration at multiple practices because of the ineffectiveness, and it even resulted in him yelling at his teammates during a rainy day.

Whether it's the offensive line not blocking up to its standard or the passing game not being on the same page, it's all played a part. The offense has been without Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and Mixon. Both are vital to the offense as they're assets in the run and pass game.

But Ryans isn't worried.

"It's really all three phases for me ... offense, defense, special teams -- we have a lot to improve on. We're not where we want to be right now at this point in camp. No team is," Ryans said. "It's a grind, and it's a process of continuing to work to earn the right to be a good football team and we're continuing to earn that right daily and we have a lot of things to improve on offense, defense and special teams. I think the mindset is there for our guys, and we're heading in the right direction."

The offensive line has work to do

Two areas are lacking consistency for the O-line: protecting Stroud and creating running lanes for the backs. One reason for the uneven play to start camp has been the defensive line's strong play. The younger players on the left side of the line have struggled against Anderson and Hunter.

Left guard Kenyon Green(23)has been around the longest, and he and centerJuice Scruggs(24) and left tackle Blake Fisher(21) are trying to figure it out. Green struggled in 2022 as a rookie and missed all of 2023 with a shoulder injury. Scruggs is entering Year 2 after only playing seven games last season, and Fisher is a rookie. Tunsil hasn't practiced yet as he's recovering from an offseason knee surgery.

But Ryans believes those issues have more to do with cohesion than anything.

"The O-line is ... doing a good job of working together and still building that cohesiveness, and it's still coming together," Ryans said. "But I think they're headed in the right direction, continuing to play the style of football that we want to play. A lot of different guys, we mix up a lot of guys in a lot of different groups and with those guys.