The Houston Texans have been deliberate with Derek Stingley.
As the former LSU cornerback transitions into the NFL while simultaneously recovering from a Lisfranc injury that limited him to three games in 2021, the Texans are being cautious with their No. 3 overall pick.
Stingley has the ability to play man-to-man in addition to zone in Smith’s Tampa 2 scheme. Houston would like to give the rookie a fair chance to live up to that billing rather than rush him along and hurt his development.
Smith told reporters Saturday after the sixth day of training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center that they were still making determinations on whether Stingley and other players would go against the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 13.
“We’re not quite there yet,” said Smith. “All of our players won’t play I’ll say that, the first preseason game. We still haven’t determined of course how much.
“A lot of times when guys are coming off a major injury, we may wait a little bit, but we’ll decide that as much as anything for Stingley. You see he’s out here practicing every day. He’s right on schedule.”
As long as Stingley remains on schedule, the Texans may want to still play it safe until they have to suit up the former Bayou Bengal for real. The Texans host the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 11 at NRG Stadium to kickoff the 2022 campaign.
