AFC Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Texans

Colts

Colts HC Frank Reich commented on how the team will proceed given that the rookies will have no preseason entering 2020.

“Does it hurt them? Yeah, realistically it does hurt them a little bit,” Reich said, via Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan. “Without question the more reps you can see of a guy, the better. We all think we are pretty good evaluators in this building so naturally, I think we feel confident we’re going to be able to figure out who it is that should make our team and who is going to help us the most.”

Jaguars

• Per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew says he did not test positive for COVID-19 to prompt his short stay on the list and joked the virus “took one look at me and ran the other way.”
• Jaguars activated QB Gardner Minshew and S Andrew Wingard from the COVID-19 list. (NFLTR)
• Jaguars activated CB D.J. Hayden from the PUP list. 

Texans

• The Athletic’s Aaron Reiss believes it would take an absolute trainwreck for Texans HC Bill O’Brien to lose his job after 2020 and even then the variance from the pandemic could give him an excuse. 
• Reiss doesn’t expect the financial difficulties from the pandemic lowering the price tag at all for QB Deshaun Watson, so it falls on the team to fit him under the cap.
• As for Texans DE J.J. Watt, given his age, injury history and the lack of guaranteed money on his deal, Reiss says a release is very much on the table if Watt falls off or is hurt in 2020. 
• However, he adds the team would be incentivized to work out an extension instead to lower Watt’s cap figure if the best defensive player in franchise history can recapture some of that form. 
• Texans fourth-round CB John Reid will likely be the primary backup to CB Bradley Roby in the slot, per Reiss.
• Reiss mentions Texans DT Albert Huggins is more likely to stick on the practice squad after returning to Houston on a waiver claim after being cut by the Eagles. 
• Reiss thinks Texans TE Jordan Thomas is a strong practice squad candidate if Houston doesn’t keep four tight ends on the active roster. 

Titans

Titans LB Harold Landry had a quiet ending to his 2019 season, yet offers no excuses and has a plan to make a big splash in 2020.

“I feel tremendous, and I’m ready to go,” Landry said, via Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. “I feel great, and I am ready to take that next step. My goal when I came into the league was to be a better player every single year. I feel like I took a step from year one to year two and now it is time to take a step from year two to year three. I think I’m ready to do that. I have put in a lot of work, and I am excited about this season.”

Landry also said he’s working to master several of his current pass-rush moves instead of focusing on adding any new ones.

“I am not necessarily looking to have, like 1,000 moves in my repertoire,” Landry said. “I am just looking to have two or three and being able to make those the best rush (moves) possible. And another thing is being versatile – being able to rush not just on the edge, but wherever they want me to rush from, depending on the call. That’s what I feel like I need to do to take the next step.”