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Come Fan with UsSaturday, July 4, 2026

Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett still neck-and-neck for Texans starting job

Neither quarterback is leading the Texans’ battle at this stage, Broncos wide receiver Kyle Williams sustained a season-ending injury and more from training camp on Saturday.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said that nobody is in the lead as far as the starting quarterback is concerned, according to Brian Smith of the Houston Chronicle. Houston is conducting a battle between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett for the starting job, but neither has done much thus far to have the edge over the other.

The Texans opened training camp proper on Saturday and it was Hoyer who took the first-team reps at the start of the session. Mallett also got in work with the starters, but not until later in the session and neither held the edge at the end of it, as reported by Tania Ganguli of ESPN. At this stage, there’s no timeline on which quarterback will wind up with the starting gig.

Hoyer and Mallett have both struggled in their limited time as starters, though Hoyer has found success here and there in his time with the Cleveland Browns. This battle likely won't be settled until we find out who starts and plays the most in the team's third preseason game.

Below, we’ve got more news and notes from around the league:

Kyle Williams goes down with injury

Denver Broncos wide receiver Kyle Williams sustained a non-contact injury during training camp on Saturday and had to be carted off the field. Williams was visibly upset after the injury and seemed to think it was a bad one, according to The Denver Post. Unfortunately, early reports are that Williams may have sustained a partially torn Achilles, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post.

Williams was already on the roster bubble and battling for playing time this season. Williams took to Instagram to confirm the Achilles injury, and stated that he'll miss the 2015 season. At this stage, his future in the league has to be in doubt. Williams was a fringe player with the San Francisco 49ers for multiple seasons, often flashing high potential but ultimately falling short of establishing himself as a starter.

Gordon struggles with blocking

San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon will be the team's starter and, if all goes as planned, the future of that position for years to come. They want him to provide the Chargers a dynamic, balanced offense, but through three days of training camp there is one glaring issue, and it's one that often plagues rookie running backs: pass protection.

According to Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego, Gordon won’t be a three-down running back “without much improvement” in his blocking. Obviously, it’s early on and Gordon will be given multiple opportunities to improve, but rookies often struggle in this area and it could be the thing that prevents him from being a bell-cow type back early on in his career.

Rough day for the Browns

It was a rough day for the Browns. First, defensive lineman Billy Winn was carted off the field with an apparent injury to his right knee. He sustained the injury during an inside run drill early in the session, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The severity of the injury is unknown, but it comes at a bad time for Winn. He's set to play on the final year of his rookie contract and was coming off the best season of his career.

Then there are the running backs. Cleveland hopes that Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West and rookie Duke Johnson will combine for a strong running game next season, and it needs to figure out who will be the starter. For now, it's going to be Crowell after Johnson sustained a hamstring injury and West picked up a calf injury on Saturday. The injuries are not considered serious, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but it should give Crowell a leg up.

Coleman getting reps with the first team

Rookie third-round pick Tevin Coleman is one of the more intriguing running backs in a strong class. He was drafted high despite serious injury concerns, and he seems primed to fight for a starting job. On just the second day of camp, Coleman was already getting some reps with the first-team offense, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Coleman is competing with Devonta Freeman at this stage. Both running backs should see plenty of touches this season, but Coleman wants to be established as the starting running back.

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