If there’s one thing the Houston Texans don’t need to teach Keylan Rutledge, it’s physicality.
Playing after the whistle? That could be up for debate.
The fiery first-round pick out of Georgia Tech has been the talk of training camp for all the right reasons. A former guard, Rutledge has transformed into a solid center prospect, winning the starting job as Houston prepares for its first preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
But Rutledge hasn’t been afraid to throw it back at the defense after reps, including some of Houston’s top players. On the first day of padded practice, he and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair sparred for a second once the whistle blew. He fired back at Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter earlier this week.
On Tuesday, Rutledge got into it once more, this time sparring with All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. And unlike Al-Shaair, this continued for several seconds and needed multiple players to break the two up.
“Better be careful there, messing with Will Anderson,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said after practice. “No, I love it. I love the scrappiness of Keylan. His mindset is what I love. He’s not backing down from anybody, as he shouldn’t, I expect that from every player on our team. We’re not backing down from anybody. We know we’re not physically fighting but there’s always chippiness in our game because it’s a tough, physical, violent game that we play and there’s going to be some chippiness that goes on.
Ryans isn’t promoting fighting at all between players, but he can tell his roster is ready to hit someone not wearing the same jersey. Still, the fourth-year head made sure to mention that mention that if players are be reactive, they strike first, mainly to avoid the penalty.
“We just have to make sure we’re smart, especially in game, make sure we’re not that second guy,” Ryans said.
The Texans make their preseason debut this Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers at 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans rookie Keylan Rutledge keeps firey play alive during practice
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cole Thompson, Texans Wire | USA TODAY Network
