• The Texans will get some secondary clarity: Rookies Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock should each earn sizeable playing time in this matchup. Lassiter, the team’s second-round pick, is competing for CB2 status with veterans and former 2020 top-10 picks Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson.
• A new kickoff format: Gone is the style most fans are accustomed to, and in is the XFL-type format. NFL teams will look to test new kickoff strategies this preseason.
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Sure, the clips of NFL training camps around the country have been fun to watch. But at long last, there’s a real, live, NFL game being played before our very eyes.
It might not count for the record books, but the 2024 Hall of Fame Game — this year, between the Bears and Texans — is a de facto start to the real football season. And while football fanatics savor nearly anybody playing this time of year, this season’s matchup from Canton offers real intrigue.
From some fascinating young players taking the field for the first time to even a major rule change coming into effect, here’s what to keep your eye on from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Young Texans vying for starting time in the secondary
Unfortunately, we won’t have the opportunity to see much of the legitimately awesome star power on both sides. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus already announced that Caleb Williams and other starters will not be suiting up (that likely includes rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze), and expect the Texans to follow suit with C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins and more.
At the same time, there’s a strong probability that Houston rookies Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock will each earn sizeable playing time in this matchup. Lassiter, the team’s second-round pick, is competing for CB2 status with veterans and former 2020 top-10 picks Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson. The 21-year-old Lassiter was fantastic during his final season in Athens, finishing with an 85.4 PFF overall grade and a superb 87.2 coverage grade — good for 10th among cornerbacks with 300 or more coverage snaps.
Meanwhile, Bullock has gotten the bulk of his early camp work with Houston’s second-team defense, with the Texans having two frontline safety starters in Jalen Pitre and Jimmie Ward. However, Bullock — who played at least 249 snaps in the slot, box and traditional free safety at USC last year — could prove valuable due to his real versatility.
Although DeMeco Ryans’ secondary was terrific last year, finishing seventh in team coverage grade, work will be needed to replace veteran Steven Nelson. Lassiter and Bullock get their first shot to prove their mettle Thursday.
Sorting out a crowded Bears backfield
The Bears already fielded two solid running backs in Khalil Herbert (79.4 rushing grade) and rookie Roschon Johnson (66.9) last season. But general manager Ryan Poles made waves when he signed D’Andre Swift from the Eagles to the tune of $24 million over three years.
Johnson’s profile is particularly interesting. In his first season in Chicago, the former Texas runner ranked fourth on the team with 80 carries, but he struggled to do much after contact. Johnson’s 2.35 yards after contact per carry was tied for the fourth-lowest mark among running backs with 80 or more carries last year. Yet, Johnson was prolific in that category in Austin, earning a career 3.99 yards after contact per carry mark.
How much action Herbert gets could also be telling. Last season, he played only 14 offensive snaps in the preseason in an effort to be protected as Chicago’s RB1. In 2022, though, that number was at 44 snaps with David Montgomery as the defined starter. If Herbert’s usage looks more like last season than two years prior, it could be an indication that new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron intends to keep Herbert fresh for considerable regular-season carries next to Swift.
The Tory Taylor Show
This one is for the real football sickos.
While Iowa’s offense was incredibly painstaking to watch over the past few seasons, Taylor provided some solace with his magnificent punting work. Last season, the Aussie tied for second in the nation with 48.3 yards per punt (minimum 50 attempts) and even set an NCAA record for single-season punting yards (4,491).
The Bears selected the Ray Guy winner in the fourth round, making him the highest-drafted punter since Mitch Wishnowsky in 2019. Taylor’s selection wasn’t just for show, either: He’ll be tasked with upgrading a Bears punting unit that finished 23rd in average yards per punt and saw starter Trenton Gill end 38th in average net punting yards.
The household starters might not be on display in Canton, but punters aren’t given the same protection. That’s great news for us Taylor aficionados.
A potential return for Cam Akers
It’s been a frenzied two years for Cam Akers. After a career-best season in 2022 — headlined by an 80.7 overall and 80.4 rushing grades — with the Rams, Akers was traded to the Vikings after just two games in 2023. From there, the former Florida State Seminole played 111 snaps in six games but tore his Achilles in Week 9, significantly limiting his season for the second time in three years.
Now, Akers gets a fresh start in Houston after signing with the Texans in late July. Whether he will play on Thursday remains unknown, given his constrained time to learn the playbook, but it could prove a big opportunity.
Newcomer Joe Mixon will assuredly be Houston’s RB1, but backup duties are still up for grabs. Previous starter Dameon Pierce finished 2023 ranked 47th in rushing grade and 44th in breakaway percentage (minimum 100 carries), and his responsibilities for 2024 aren’t very well-defined. Akers could emerge amid Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale and sixth-round rookie Jawhar Jordan to be Mixon’s main sidekick.
The new kickoff rule (and how effectively it’s executed)
It’s the first game of the 2024 season, and we’re already double-dipping at special teams.
The very first play Thursday night could be a real litmus test for the larger NFL season: the kickoff. Gone is the style most fans are accustomed to, and in is the XFL-type format. The ball will still be booted from the 35-yard line, but kickers will be isolated as special team defenders collide more quickly with return blockers, who are situated between the opposing 30 and 35. Also of note is that no blocker or defender can move until the ball is either caught by the returner or hits the ground.
While returners could signal for a touchback anywhere inside the 25 last season, that’s radically different this year. Now, any ball that lands between the goal line and the 20 — the “landing zone” — must be returned. But if a kick doesn’t even reach the 20, then the return team can automatically get the ball at its own 40-yard line, akin to the ball landing out of bounds. Oh, and if a kick is downed in the end zone, teams will come out to their 30 instead of the 25.
If this is all very confusing, you’re not alone. Expect many NFL teams to be sorting out the kinks of this starkly new format throughout not only the preseason but also the regular season.
Nonetheless, it should be fascinating to see how well this rule is followed by players. That’s especially true for kickers, who now have to weigh how deep they want to kick the ball, knowing that a touchback starts an offense at the 30, and returners, who now can have that much more of a regularly dynamic impact on the game.
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