Former Viking Gets Rave Reviews with New Team
Dustin Baker
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The Houston Texans are not expected to take the NFL by storm in 2023, tabbed for 6.5 wins by oddsmakers as of mid-August.
Former Viking Gets Rave Reviews with New Team
Houston overhauled the coaching staff and roster this offseason, hiring DeMeco Ryans as head coach from the San Francisco 49ers and drafting quarterback C.J. Stroud from Ohio State and EDGE rusher Will Anderson of Alabama with early-1st-Round draft capital.
But when the Texans offense hits a regular season field in less than four weeks, one former Viking could receive more playing time than expected, running back Mike Boone.
Boone tabulated 32 yards from scrimmage on five touches in Houston’s first preseason game, a 20-9 exhibition triumph over the New England Patriots. And the performance turned heads.
“He’s an explosive runner. He has dynamic speed. He showed a little glimpse of that in the game, and he has continued to move forward. I think he’s doing some good things for us,” Ryans said after the game.
The Texans list Boone around third on the RB depth chart behind Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary, so it remains to be seen how many touches the Cincinnati alumnus will accrue on Sundays this fall.
Ryans continued, “He’s done a lot of good things on the practice field and just continued to make that translate into the games. I like where Boone is. I like where he’s headed, and I think he could be an explosive playmaker for us.”
Boone joined the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and stayed attached to the depth chart for three seasons. He then signed with the Broncos for two years, in 2021 and 2022, and used free agency for his career’s third chapter in Houston this offseason.
Recognizing his role on the depth chart in unison with the aforementioned Pierce and Singletary, Boone mentioned over the weekend, “I want to come in and help out any way I can, whether on the ground or routes out of the backfield. However I can add my versatility to the offense. I’m willing to do that.”
If the preseason is a reasonable indicator and Ryans’ words are to be taken seriously, Boone should be more than a footnote on offense in 2023 and avoid a roster-cut fate at the end of the month.
The Texans also employ former Viking Case Keenum (QB), currently the team’s QB3 behind Stroud and Davis Mills.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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