Steve Slaton, Arian Foster and rookie Ben Tate likely will start training camp on even footing giving all three of them a fair shot at being the featured back.  24-year old Steve Slaton had a neck injury last season that caused him to be ineffective running the ball and it might have led to his fumbling problem.  If he can get back to his rookie form he can win the starting job.  He played in 11 games (10 starts) last season for the Texans in which he carried the ball 131 times for 437 yards (3.3 ypc) with 3 TD runs and he also caught 50 passes for 377 yards (7.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 27 games (25 starts) in his NFL career in which he has carried the ball 399 times for 1,719 yards (4.3 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  Slaton has also caught 94 passes for 794 yards (8.4 avg) with 5 TD grabs in his career.  Even if Slaton wins the starting job the Texans would keep the other two backs heavily involved because he’s not a big guy.

23-year old Arian Foster was a undrafted free agent out of Tennessee last season.  He played in 6 games (1 start) for the Texans last season and he carried the ball 54 times for 257 yards (4.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Foster also caught 8 passes for 93 yards (11.6 avg) last year.  Foster really played well last season for the Texans which gives him a decent shot at a lot of P.T. in 2010.

2nd round pick Ben Tate was a need pick for the Texans as they aren’t totally confident in Slaton or Foster being able to handle the featured role in a offense.  Tate has been exactly that at Auburn who plays in the best conference in college football.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE TEXANS RBs in 2010:  C

28-year old QB Matt Schaub can’t do much better than he did last season.  He played in all 16 games for the Texans last year and he completed 396 of 583 passes (67.9%) for 4,770 yards with 29 TD passes and 15 INTs (98.6 QB Rating).  Schaub also carried the ball 48 times for 57 yards (1.2 ypc) last year.  The Texans fell just one game short of the playoffs last season but they can’t blame that on Schaub who was electric.  If he has some help from the running game in 2010 the Texans might make their first venture into the NFL playoffs in 2010.  Schaub has now played in 76 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 923 of 1,413 passes (65.3%) for 11,087 yards with 59 TD passes and 40 INTs (91.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 120 times for 300 yards (2.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Schaub is 19-21 (47.5%) as a starting QB in the NFL and the Texans hope that record improves a lot in 2010.

The Texans had better hope that Schaub stays healthy because his backup will be 26-year old Dan Orlovsky.  He didn’t get in any games last season for the Texans and he last played in a game in 2008 with the Lions.  Orlovsky has played in 12 games in his NFL career and he has completed 150 of 272 passes (55.1%) for 1,679 yards with 8 TD passes and 8 INTs (71.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 7 times for 29 yards (4.1 ypc) in his career.  Orlovsky has a 0-7 record as a starting QB in the NFL.

25-year old John David Booty will be the likely #3 QB for the Texans in 2010 and he has never taken a snap in the NFL. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE TEXANS QBs in 2010:  A 

The Houston Texans really need Matt Schaub to stay healthy with Sage Rosenfels getting traded to the Vikings in the off-season.  Schaub definately has big time talent as he has a good throwing arm and he’s careful with the football.  The Texans can finally get over the 8-8 hump if Schaub plays a complete schedule which is something he’s never done in the NFL to date.  The new backup QB is Dan Orlovsky who served the same role for the Lions last season.  Orlovsky got a lot of playing time in 2008 but he obviously didn’t win any games.  Still, the overall talent will be better around him this season so he would probably be close to a average QB if forced into duty.  2nd year QB Alex Brink will be around again in 2009 to hold a clipboard.  He’s a dink and dunk type passer without much of a arm.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B-

31-year old Kris Brown had a huge year kicking for the Texans in 2007 and they need him to follow it up strongly.  Brown kicked in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he made 25 of 29 field goals (86.2%).  Brown also made all 40 of his extra point attempts last year.  The Texans need another huge season like that out of Brown if the offense is going to excel as they can’t afford to leave points on the field.  Brown has now played in 144 games in his NFL career and he has made 202 of 261 field goals (77.4%).  He also has made 267 of 273 extra points (97.8%) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-

Owen Daniels is a big guy at 6’3″, 247 pounds and he is also fast for his size causing mis-matches for the opposing defenses.  Look for Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels to look for him more in the passing game this season.  Daniels played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he caught 63 passes for 768 yards (12.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Daniels to catch 10-15 more passes this season for the Texans.  Daniels has now played in 30 games for the Texans and he has caught 97 passes for 1,120 yards (11.5 avg) with 8 TD grabs.

35-year old Mark Bruener’s game is blocking.  The 6’4″, 260 pound Bruener played in 14 games and he didn’t catch a pass last season but he still helps the Texans’ offense, especially the running game.  Bruener has now played in 186 games in his NFL career and he has caught 152 passes for 1,333 yards (8.8 avg) with 18 TD grabs.

Joel Dreessen is a weapon for the Texans near the goal line.  He is a big target at 6’4″, 260 pounds which gives him an edge near the end zone.  Dreessen played in 13 games for the Texans last season and he caught 4 passes for 55 yards (13.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Don’t expect big numbers out of Dreessen but he might make a couple of big plays for them in the passing game.  Dreessen has now played in 27 games in his NFL career and he has caught 9 passes for 96 yards (10.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Texans appear to have a pretty decent receiving corps heading into the 2008 season but everything revolves around #1 WR Andre’ Johnson.  Johnson is a big guy at 6’3″, 219 pounds and he has the speed to get deep making him very dangerous any time the Texans throw the ball his way.  Johnson played in 9 games for the Texans last season and he caught 60 passes for 851 yards (14.2 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  The Texans have to hope that Johnson stays healthy because he’s by far the best receiver on the football team.  Johnson has now played in 70 games for the Texans and he has caught 371 passes for 4,804 yards (12.9 avg) with 25 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 18 times for 26 yards (1.4 ypc) in his career.

26-year old Kevin Walter finally found himself last season.  He has always had good hands but he added toughness to his game using his size (6’3″, 214 pounds) to his advantage.  Walter really stepped up his game after Johnson got hurt which really made the Texans’ coaching staff and brass happy.  Walter played in 16 games for the Texans last season and he caught 65 passes for 800 yards (12.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 30 yards (6.0 ypc) last season.  Look for Walter to be a solid #2 receiver for the Texans again in 2008.  Walter has now played in 75 games in his NFL career and he has caught 112 passes for 1,256 yards (11.2 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Walter has also carried the ball 6 times for 33 yards (5.5 ypc) in his career.

Andre’ Davis will be the #3 receiver for the Texans this season and he really stepped up his game after Johnson’s injury.  He is very fast and can beat cornerbacks in a race down the field.  Davis played in 14 games for the Texans last season and he caught 33 passes for 583 yards (17.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Davis to have better numbers in 2008 for the Texans than he had in 2007.  Davis has now played in 78 games in his NFL career and he has caught 137 passes for 2,198 yards (16.0 avg) with 17 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 9 times for 32 yards (3.6 ypc) in his career.

Jacoby Jones is the fastest receiver on the Texans’ but he’s very raw.  He will likely be the #4 receiver on the Texans as long as he can beat out David Anderson and Tim Carter for the job.  Jones played in 14 games as a rookie for the Texans last season and he caught 15 passes for 149 yards (9.9 avg) without a TD reception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for -1 yard (0.3 ypc).

David Anderson will be in a battle for a roster spot with Tim Carter so he better come to training camp ready to go.  Anderson played in 8 games for the Texans last season and he caught 12 passes for 131 yards (10.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 17 games in his NFL career and he has caught 13 passes for 158 yards (12.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Don’t expect much out of him this season.

28-year old veteran Tim Carter will battle for a roster spot this season.  He will likely have to help out on special teams to make the Texans’ roster as he has never quite lived up to his potential.  Carter played in all 16 games for the Browns last season and he caught 8 passes for 117 yards (14.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Carter is fast but he’s pretty soft and he doesn’t have the courage to go over the middle for a pass.  Carter has now played in 69 games in his NFL career and he has caught 80 passes for 1,084 yards (13.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also has carried the football 11 times for 97 yards (8.8 ypc) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

Vonta Leach and Jameel Cook have important roles with the Texans as they are both decent blockers and good receivers out of the backfield.  Leach is a big guy at 6’0″, 250 pounds and he likes to hit people.  Leach played in 16 games (12 starts) for the Texans last year and he carried the ball 2 times for 2 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 25 passes for 108 yards (4.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Leach to play a little bit more than Cook this season but they will split time to keep them both fresh.  Leach has now played in 50 games (22 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 2 times for 2 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also has caught 36 passes for 188 yards (5.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.

Jameel Cook is a tad smaller than Leach at 5’10″, 237 pounds but he’s still effective at his job.  Cook played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Texans last season and he carried the ball 8 times for 24 yards (3.0 ypc).  He also caught 8 passes for 40 yards (5.0 avg) last season.  Cook has now played in 99 games (23 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 14 times for 43 yards (3.1 ypc).  He also has caught 81 passes for 486 yards (6.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.  He will do a good job for the Texans in 2008.

Converted linebacker Jon Abbate is the #3 fullback on the roster.  He’s got decent size at 5’11″, 245 pounds but he’ll likely have to make the team playing special teams as he’s well behind Leach and Cook.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Texans appear to have a lot of depth at running back but they don’t appear to have a running back that can handle a full workload in 2008.  It would appear that Ahman Green would get the first chance to start for the Texans in 2008 but he didn’t appear to have much left in the tank last season before he was injured.  Green played in 6 games (5 starts) for the Texans last season and he carried the ball 70 times for 260 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 14 passes for 123 yards (8.8 avg) last year.  Green might not have much tread left on his tires but he has had a very productive career.  Green has now played in 132 games (96 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,941 times for 8,751 yards (4.5 ypc) with 56 TD runs.  He has also caught 364 passes for 2,833 yards (7.8 avg) with 14 TD grabs.

Chris Brown was signed in the off season as a free agent to compete with Green for the starting job at RB.  He also has huge issues with durability as he likes to run upright leaving himself open to the big hit.  That’s not to say that he’s not a talented back because he is, I just doubt he can play a whole 16 game schedule without going down to injury at some point.  Brown played in 12 games (1 start) last season for the Titans and he carried the ball 102 times for 462 yards (4.5 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 19 passes for 128 yards (6.7 avg).  Look for Brown to post solid season totals in 2008 as long as he can stay in one piece.  Brown has now played in 54 games (29 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 643 times for 2,757 yards (4.3 ypc) with 16 TD runs.  He has also caught 74 passes for 667 yards (9.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Darius Walker was a undrafted rookie last season who was a pleasant surprise late in the season for the Texans.  His style appears to fit the offense well and he should push Green and Brown for playing time.  Walker played in 4 games (2 starts) for the Texans last season as a rookie and he carried the ball 58 times for 264 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 13 passes for 81 yards (6.2 avg).  Look for Walker to improve on those numbers in 2008 with Green and Brown so prone to injury ahead of him on the depth chart.

Chris Taylor did not play last season due to injury but he has flashed potential in limited playing time in the past for the Texans.  He has played in 4 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 28 times for 123 yards (4.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 40 yards (13.3 avg).  He has the potential to possibly play a bigger role than anyone expects this season for the Texans as long as he can stay healthy.

Rookie Steve Slaton might be on the small side but that didn’t stop him at West Virginia.  The rookie averaged 1,347.3 yards rushing and 16.7 rushing TDs in his 3 years at West Virginia.  He also averaged 21.7 receptions, 268.3 receiving yards and 1.7 TDs receiving per season.  Slaton is a tough guy and if he can take the pounding he could be a nice surprise for the Texans’ offense in 2008.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D+

The Houston Texans go three deep in quality QBs and that should serve them well this season.  Matt Schaub is the starting QB and he played pretty well in his first season as an NFL starter.  He played in 11 games (all starts) for the Texans last season and he completed 192 of 289 passes (66.4%) for 2,241 yards with 9 TD passes and 9 interceptions (87.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 17 times for 52 yards (3.1 ypc).  Schaub has everything you need to be successful in the NFL as his arm in strong enough to make every throw and he’s just mobile enough to buy time in the pocket.  But, the Texans need to keep Schaub upright and that was a problem last season as he missed 5 games due to injury.  Schaub has now played in 49 games (13 start) in his NFL career and he has completed 276 of 450 passes (61.3%) for 3,274 yards with 15 TD passes and 15 interceptions (80.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 41 times for 175 yards (4.3 ypc).

Sage Rosenfels has bounced around the league for a while now but he played just as well as Schaub did last season when he replaced him due to injury.  Rosenfels can make all of the throws needed to start in the NFL but he has problems with trying to fit the ball in tight spaces resulting in frequent interceptions.  Rosenfels played in 9 games (5 starts) for the Texans last season and he completed 154 of 240 passes (64.2%) for 1,684 yards with 15 TD passes and 12 interceptions (84.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 21 times for 51 yards (2.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The Texans feel confident that they would just keep rolling along if Rosenfels in forced into duty this season.  Rosenfels has now played in 26 games (7 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 235 of 388 passes (60.6%) for 2,725 yards with 24 TD passes and 19 interceptions (82.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 34 times for 61 yards (1.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.

The Texans couldn’t believe that #3 man Quinn Gray was willing to sign with them for less than $700,000 bucks, so the Texans jumped at the chance to steal him from the rival Jaguars.  Gray is a hot and cold passer as sometimes he can’t miss while other times he couldn’t throw the football in the ocean from the beach.  But his arm is strong enough to get the job done and he’s mobile often buying himself time in the pocket.  Gray played in 8 games (4 starts) for the Jaguars last season and he completed 80 of 144 passes (55.6%) for 986 yards with 10 TD passes and 5 interceptions (85.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 19 times for 57 yards (3.0 ypc).  Last season was the first year that Gray got into the game when it wasn’t mop up time so he proved he can handle the NFL as a starter.  Gray has now played in 11 games (4 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 101 of 180 passes (56.1%) for 1,252 yards with 12 TD passes and 5 interceptions.  He has also carried the ball 24 times for 84 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

The Texans picked Alex Brink of Washington State in the 7th round of this year’s NFL Draft and he looks ticketed for the practice squad unless one of the QBs ahead of him gets injured.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B