Everything Texans GM Nick Caserio following roster cutdown day

Here's everything Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio said following roster cutdowns on Wednesday, including an update of running back Joe Mixon and potential additions to the active roster following the building of the practice squad.

Nick Caserio opening statement: "Good morning. Thanks for being here. Excited to get started. The roster where it is, is probably a snapshot of where it ultimately will be. Probably be a lot of changes between now and the end of the season, probably even before the start of the season. It's no different for us than it is the rest of the league. But I think we're in a decent spot. We’ll try to have a couple good days of practice here today and tomorrow. Then the players have kind of that long weekend there, that mini bye. We'll come back on Monday and kind of get ready for one of the best teams in the league, a week from Sunday, in the [Los Angeles] Rams. A lot of work went into this to get to this point. The players have worked hard. The staff's worked hard. A lot of dialogue, a lot of conversations with a lot of people throughout the building, which will continue. DeMeco [Ryans] and I essentially, I was asked about this the other day, talk about the team every day. It just takes a lot of dialogue, a lot of conversation back and forth and we just try to arrive at a good endpoint that we feel makes sense for our team. If there's an opportunity out there that makes sense, we'll consider it. We're always going to consider it. If not, we'll always be prepared with the group we have. So, overall, we're in a decent spot and excited to flip the page here and get ready for the regular season."

Q: On the possibility of adding another tight end

Caserio: “We'll see. I've talked about this at different points. Some positions you carry your depth on the roster; some positions you carry your depth off the roster. We view it as 65, 70 players are essentially available every week at our disposal. Whoever we feel can help us that particular week or game, we'll consider it. We probably very easily could have carried 60 to 65 players on the actual roster, but the rules are the rules. So, we try to work within the parameters that we're given by the league. Some positions, they'll be on the 53, some will be on the practice squad. But we don't view the practice squad players any differently than the players that are on the roster. Some of this is just mechanics and positioning and where do you feel that you have to carry a player or handle a player. So, we'll always look at it and ultimately do what we feel makes the most sense for our team.”

Q: On RB British Brooks

Caserio: “When you look at our program and what are the hallmarks of our teams and what's important to DeMeco, toughness, effort, physicality. Who better embodies that than British Brooks? The way he plays, his mindset, his toughness. The guy doesn't say ‘boo’. There's a lot of guys like that. Doesn't say much really in the building. [He] let's his actions do the talking. British has earned his opportunity. The players on the team have earned the opportunity to be where they are. There are a number of players not on the team that have earned their opportunity as well. We'll see how it shakes out over the next, call it 24 hours. There will be a lot of movement. You'll get the waiver period here by 11 o'clock. Teams have to put the claims in, and you'll form the practice squads by 1 o'clock, midday. There will be some other transactions tomorrow. But, by Thursday afternoon, wherever you're going to be, that's where you're going to be for now. But British has worked really hard. He had his season cut short last year with the injury. But, when he's been on the field, he's made an impact. Made an impact last year, going back. He was active week one, made tackle on kickoff coverage or something like that. When you're a role player you have to do multiple things well. You’re either a starter on offense, a starter on defense or a starter on the kicking game. So, again, we can only take 48 players to the game each week. Whether he's a part of that or not, we'll see how it all transpires. But British is a good kid, works hard, embodies a lot of the qualities we covet in this program.”

Q: On RB Joe Mixon

Caserio: “With all the injured players, we’ll take it one day at a time. Whatever their timeline is, we’ll handle accordingly. The players that are on PUP [Physically Unable to Perform] or NFI [Non-Football Injury/Illness] are out four games or four weeks. Once we get through four weeks, we’ll evaluate it at that time.”

Q: On RB Joe Mixon being placed on NFI list instead of PUP list

Caserio: “It's not my call. It's the league's call. You turn the transactions in, and they put the players in categories. So, that's how it's handled.”

Q: On RB Joe Mixon’s recovery process

Caserio: “We'll see. We’ll take it one day at a time and we'll evaluate those players after four weeks and see where they are in their progression and make a determination.”

Q: On how long it takes to finalize the roster

“That's a good question. I'd say it's very fluid. I’d say it's an ongoing process throughout the year. When you look at some of the players that are currently on this team, let's just use Tommy Togiai as an example. A year ago, we weren't even talking about Tommy Togiai. He wasn't on our team, he wasn't in training camp, he wasn't on the practice squad. We signed him at the end of September, beginning of October. Started on the practice squad, worked his way onto the roster. A year later, here he is on the 53-man roster with an opportunity to make a contribution. Go back two years ago, we were having this conversation. Nobody was talking about Derek Barnett. Derek Barnett, a waiver claim in November and ‘DB’ has been, I'd say, an integral part of what we're doing here the last few years. So, it's a fixed point in time. The rules are the rules. Everybody has got to get to 53, then you form a practice squad. You're going to see more movement, probably more movement on and off practice squads than you will see on the roster. But, at any point a player could go from the practice squad to the roster and it's a simple transaction. We view it as an ongoing thing. No different, we've talked about this, everybody gets excited about the draft, but I think more of a deal is made out of the draft than really should be. It's just a fixed point in time. No different, here we are in training camp, to go from 90 [players] to 53 [players]. It's a fixed point in time. But the roster-building process is ongoing. There will be other opportunities out there for us and we'll always look at it and we'll consider it. If it makes sense, we'll do it. If it doesn’t, we won’t. But that’s how we handle it.”

Q: On DT Tommy Togiai

Caserio: “Similar answer regarding British Brooks. Tommy is one of the hardest-working players in our building. Probably one of the most consistent players from the start of the offseason program until now. He started training in February. He's like a 700-pound squatter, he's one of the strongest guys on the team. Tommy was a good football player at Ohio State, a fourth-round pick by the Browns. Didn't work out. Had some injuries, shortchanged him there a bit. But Tommy is an NFL football player. He's got the right mindset. He's got the right attitude. He works his tail off. He goes out there and makes plays. He's been really good to work with. He's taken advantage of the opportunities when they've been provided. Glad he's here.”

Q: On RB Joe Mixon’s timeline to return

Caserio: “We take it one day at a time. There's no crystal ball out there. We build a team and take the information and plan accordingly. So, Joe is not available right now. Whenever he becomes available, we'll talk about it at that point in time.”

Q: On the running back room without RB Joe Mixon

Caserio: “We feel the players on the team can help us otherwise they wouldn't be here. So, whoever has got to play… We're probably going to need everybody at some point. The players on the team we’re going to need them. Players on the practice squad we’re going to need. Whoever is in the building, the expectation is that you're going to prepare each week and get ready to play and that you could help our team. There's multiple examples of that. D'Angelo Ross, there's another player, practice squad, has helped us in the kicking game, made an impact. Ka'dar Hollman, over the course of his career. There's multiple players that have been off a roster, on a practice squad who we've activated for games, and they've gone out there. Tommy [Togiai], we just talked about him. Nobody was talking about Tommy Togiai last year at this point either and he's going out in playoff games and helping us win. Whoever is here, the expectation is they'll get themselves ready to play. If there's a better option out there for us, we'll consider it. If there's not, then we won't.”

Q: On keeping QB Graham Mertz on the roster

Caserio: “Trying to keep good football players in the building. Some of it is roster mechanics, what do we feel makes the most sense? Every team will have a third quarterback in some capacity. Some will be on [the roster], some will be on the practice squad. When you look at the numbers, it’s probably half and half. So, it's just a matter of what do you think makes the most sense. We have done it both ways. We've had two on [the roster]. Last year we had two. We've had three at different points. We just felt that made the most sense for Graham [Mertz] at this point. Graham worked hard, played well the other day. Been pretty consistent since he walked into the building. It’s taken time to get up to speed, coming off the ACL injury he sustained back there in Florida. Some of it is whatever we feel makes the most sense for the team. There's going to be players, like I mentioned a little bit earlier, if our depth is not on the roster, probably going to carry it off the roster. So, might be able to supplement it a couple different ways.”

Q: On CB Jaylin Smith’s versatility

Caserio: “He's taken reps a little bit in, little bit out. He’s probably worked a little bit more on the perimeter. So, we’re just trying to figure out what makes the most sense. We have a number of players that have experience playing inside the formation. [Jalen] Pitre is one of them. Kamari [Lassiter] has played inside formation. Myles Bryant has played inside formation. He's not here right now, but Myles has experience there. Even ‘Ceedy’, when he was in Philadelphia, has played inside the formation. We try to find guys that maybe have a certain degree of flexibility and really whatever you ask them to do making sure you're not asking them to do something either, A) they're not comfortable with, or B) they're better off doing something else. We'll figure out what makes the most sense. But we feel like we have the number of versatile players back there in the secondary. Other than [Derek] Stingley, most of the guys have some position of flex. Honestly, if Stingley had to go inside and play inside the formation, situationally, the guy is best corner in the league, I'm sure he'll figure it out.”

Q: On S C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s recovery

Caserio: “We'll see. He's worked hard. We'll see if he's ready to practice here at some point. So, ‘Ceedy’ is a good player. We think he can help us. We'll see how much progress he makes. Again, we're not playing a game for 10 days, so there's a lot of things that can happen between now and the start of the season. We'll see how it goes. But ‘Ceedy’ is in a good spot. He's worked really hard and made some progress. We'll see when he's ready to go.”

Q: On the importance of the quarterback and offensive coordinator being on the same page

Caserio: “It's no different than the relationship that [Head Coach] DeMeco [Ryans] and I have. You're in constant contact. You talk about everything. There's communication back and forth. ‘Hey, I like this, what do you think?’ And, ‘I’m not really comfortable with that.’ Maybe it's something else. That's how it should work. Any good relationship, it's about good communication. So, it starts there. Whether it's football, whether it's in life. My kids maybe don't like the communication we have. But, it's about good constructive dialogue, good communication. Ultimately the quarterback has to be comfortable because he's the one, the ball is in his hands 99% of the time on every play. In the end, once the play clock gets cut off, 15 seconds, you're on your own. You want to make sure you're comfortable with the call, comfortable with the formation, comfortable with where you're going with the football. Maybe it's a mechanic thing, maybe it's a technique. Maybe it’s, ‘Hey, can we make this adjustment to the formation? Hey, that's a good idea.’ The best relationships I’ve seen in that situation, there’s just a lot of dialogue. I saw first-hand how that went with ‘Tommy’ [Tom Brady] and [Patriots Offensive Coordinator] Josh [McDaniels]. Honestly, Josh probably got sick of Tom, but that's all right. But, they were talking from Sundays after the game until Sunday morning before the next game. That's what it takes. It’s the hardest position to play in all of sports. It takes a lot of work and constant communication and dialogue on a day-to-day basis.”

Q: On how he would describe this phase of his tenure with the Houston Texans

Caserio: “No different. I think our program is very process oriented. If you have a good process in place, hopefully it leads to good results. Sometimes good process doesn't necessarily lead to the best results, but what we've tried to do is just establish some level of consistency on a day-to-day basis on all levels: coaching, scouting, nutrition, player performance in all areas and get the right people in the building, understanding that it's a hard business. You're going to face some adversity. You're going to face some stretches where things aren't going great. So, you're either going to withstand that or you're going to wilt. We feel we can handle anything that's put in front of us and that's what you want to build. We just got to focus on the process because the reality is, after a game on Sunday, you have to go back and start over. So postgame, then you've got to rebuild back up to get back to that same point. You don't just go from one week to the next. DeMeco and I believe that strongly, having a good process, being consistent day-to-day. If there's an area we can tweak or improve that can enhance our program, we'll always consider that. As long as we're here that will be the approach.”

Q: On the progress of T Aireontae Ersery and the tackle position

Caserio: “The offensive line, we'll put the best five guys out there however we deploy them.‘Tae’ [Ersery] is a good player. That's why we drafted him. He's worked on the right and left. We have a number of players on the offensive line that have position versus versatility. Tytus has played all four positions on the offensive line, other than center, even going back to 2021. He was out there at left tackle against San Francisco. He's played left guard. What we're trying to do on the offensive line, we've talked about this, is try to have enough players that have some position versatility because if you lose somebody at one spot, what's the solution? Is it you move a guy or as you take the sixth, seventh or eighth player and he goes in. Then you going to have to move somebody else over. So, we feel that that room, we have a lot of versatility and flexibility there. We'll get the five best guys out there and see what it looks like.”

Q: On having an excess number of tackles

“I've said this multiple times, can't ever have enough tackles in your building. So, feel like however you count Tytus [Howard], we have three and a half tackles, we have four tackles, but we have a number of players that can play tackle. Even ‘Dec’ [Austin Deculus], I know we traded him yesterday, but Dec had a good preseason. There's a guy that's actually started games in the NFL. It was a situation where it felt like it made sense. Probably have a good opportunity out there. You're going to need tackles, so I feel like we have some decent ones here. Hopefully we can keep them in the building because at some point we're probably going to need all of them.”

Q: On if he views Non-Football Injury (NFI) different from Injured Reserve (IR) designated to return

Caserio: “It's the same category. Some of this is logistics and vernacular. Honestly, I think a lot is made more than it really is. Whatever the status is, on reserve it's four games. After four games then you see where the player is. Doesn't mean they're going to come back; it just means that they're available to start the 21-day window. So, those players are all treated the same. That's how we view it. Maybe other teams view it differently, but that's kind of how we approach it.”

Q: On RB Joe Mixon’s recovery status

Caserio: “All those players that are on that reserve category, every single one of them, they're out four weeks. So after four weeks, we'll see where they are.”

Q: On S Jimmie Ward being placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List

“Whatever the league decides. Honestly, it's their decision. We'll deal with it accordingly. We’ll let the process play itself out. So, I don't really have anything to add beyond that.”

Q: On how his relationship with Head Coach DeMeco Ryans has evolved over the past three years

Caserio: “Honestly, it probably hasn't changed since the day we hired him to where we are now. I've said this publicly, I've said this privately, I flat out love the guy. I have a massive amount of appreciation and respect for who he is, what he's about. You see, when we talk to players, especially when you're going through the release process, it's not an easy process. But, the class and dignity with which we try to handle it and then what's expressed from the players to him, how they hold him in the regard that they do. It's pretty uplifting. So, we talk a lot. I think we see football through the same lens. We have a massive amount of respect for each other and the jobs that we have to do. But, in the end, this building is about doing things as a team and it's doing things collectively. No one person is bigger than the team. No one person is bigger than the organization. We both feel that way. Philosophically, we're aligned that way. I've said this, he's as good of a human being and person as he is a coach, and he's one of the best coaches in the league. So, our relationship has been really good from the start. I think it's grown each year and I'm glad he's our coach. I really wouldn't want to work with anybody else and hopefully it continues to lead to pretty good results and we can keep moving the organization in a good direction. I say this humbly, but I think our program is pretty respected league wide. It's because of the players and because of the people in the building. People want to be here. When a player basically says, ‘Look, I hope I don't get claimed so I can go to your practice squad,’ it honestly, it speaks to where your program is. We've come a long way. Look, I was here for '21 and nobody was saying that. We're obviously in a different spot. So, hopefully we can just keep doing the right things, being consistent day to day, treat people the right way, just be honest with them and tell them the truth and it starts at the top with him. Now, he won't take credit because he's so humble in his nature. But, everything starts with him and it disseminates throughout the rest of the building. I've said it multiple times, my job is to support him in any capacity possible, whatever that entails, and for as long as I'm in the position that I'm in, that's my commitment to him and to the organization.”

Q: On how he and Head Coach DeMeco Ryans approach injury and player information

Caserio: “Protect the players. Again, it's not public information. Here's what happened with injuries: Everybody tries to make an extrapolation about when are they ready, what are they doing, ‘Well, you guys said it was this number of weeks and then it was early and then it was later.’ There's no good solution. The solution is protect the players, look out for the best interests of the players. Take it one day at a time. Everybody is on a different timetable. Everybody has a different process they have to go through and that's how we handle it. Other teams may handle it differently. So, we just do what we feel is in the best interests of the team and what's best for the players. DeMeco has said this. He was a former player, so he obviously has a pretty good lens. I think sometimes there's an extrapolation that tries to get made about every detail and what a player is going through. Players are dealing with a lot. I would say, in a lot of cases, it's very mentally fatiguing and taxing for that particular player and nobody else really knows what else they have going on top of their injuries. So, we're trying to be sensitive. I understand you all have a job to do and you're trying to get information. We understand that. We respect that. But, we're also trying to look out for the best interests of the players because that's what we feel our responsibility is too, is to them.”

Q: On the approach to disclosing injury information

Caserio: “No, I would say in the situations we're in, the NFI, PUP, our guys, they're out for four weeks. Let's see where we are after four weeks and we'll make a determination about their progress moving forward.”

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans GM Nick Caserio following roster cutdown day