Houston Texans: Whose stock is up, down after preseason finale?

The Texans ended their preseason slate exactly how they began it.
With a win.
The Texans played their primary starters for two series Sunday in their 17-13 victory over the Saints. That included a touchdown pass by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud on his second series. He finished 2-for-4 for 16 yards and a touchdown. Shortly after the game, coach DeMeco Ryans named Stroud the starter for the Week 1 game against the Ravens.
Houston finished the 2023 preseason 2-1 in Ryans’ first season as head coach.
Now that it’s over, here comes the hard part. The Texans have to trim their roster from 90 to 53 players before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. cut deadline.
Here is the Chronicle’s latest stock report, assessing which players or position groups are rising and which are falling.
Stock rising
Mike Boone, running back: If there were any doubt Boone would earn a spot on this roster, consider it gone. The running back had another impressive performance Sunday, racking up 51 yards on seven carries and rushing for a touchdown, breaking at least three tackles on his way to the end zone.
Boone, who is 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, was in a battle for the No. 3 running back spot with incumbent Dare Ogunbowale, who is also one of the team’s better special-teams players. But Boone, whom the Texans signed to a two-year, $3.1 million contract this past offseason, has outplayed Ogunbowale.
Ogunbowale missed the Texans’ preseason game against the Saints with an undisclosed injury. He was not available to talk to the media.
Boone finished the preseason with 88 yards rushing and one TD on 16 carries. He also had nine catches for 68 yards. He showed he can be one of the Texans' go-to rushers along with Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary.
The Texans' running game seems to be in good hands.
Khalil Davis, defensive tackle: Davis went from playing in the USFL for the Birmingham Stallions to the Texans earlier this month.
Even though he was a late addition to the training camp roster, he’s made quite the impression. He had four quarterback hurries against the Dolphins in the second preseason game.
He had two quarterback hurries and a sack against the Saints. It’ll be tough for Davis to make this roster, as the Texans have a lot invested in their defensive line. But Davis will make it tough on his coaches.
If he’s not on the roster, expect him to be a priority for the practice squad. The Texans have emphasized generating more pressure on the quarterback, and Davis can obviously do that.
Xavier Hutchinson, receiver: With the starters out, the younger players got the majority of the playing time Sunday.
Enter Hutchinson, who had been one of the standouts at camp. The receiver had four catches for 48 yards on six targets. He had been fairly quiet in the other two preseason games.
But he showcased some potential against the Saints. Hutchinson, a sixth-round pick out of Iowa State, is playing special teams, too — his first time on that unit — and was credited with a forced fumble on a punt return.
Hutchinson will likely be the sixth receiver on the depth chart, but he’s done enough to earn a spot on this roster with his versatility.
Stock falling
Kenyon Green, guard: It wasn’t an ideal day for the 2022 first-round pick.
For starters, Green wasn’t a starter in this game. He came in with the second-team offense.
Then he gave up a sack against Saints rookie defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, who performed a swim move and made Green look bad.
Green was left alone at the line of scrimmage holding his arm. He went to the medical tent to be checked on and did not return to the game. Green is coming off a rookie season that had its ups and downs. He’s hoping to have a bounce-back second year. He had arthroscopic surgery on his knee this offseason and missed OTAs.
But at this point, things are starting to look uncertain.
Guard Michael Deiter started in Green’s place. The Texans' first-team offensive line didn’t give up a single pressure in its two series.
Backup offensive line: Quarterback Davis Mills, who played with the second-team offense, was pressured on 28 percent of his dropbacks and sacked three times. Stroud wasn’t pressured at all in his two series in the first quarter.
The Texans have been dealing with a lot of injuries to their offensive line. Starting right tackle Tytus Howard is out with an injured hand but could return soon. Backup right tackle Charlie Heck is out with an injury and is likely to start the regular season on the physically unable to perform list.
Starting center Scott Quessenberry is out for the year with two torn knee ligaments.
Rookie center Juice Scruggs suffered an injury early in the game and was replaced by rookie Jarrett Patterson. Patterson also suffered an injury but returned.
Late last week, the Texans traded for Cardinals right tackle Josh Jones. They are doing everything they can to shore up the offensive line and make sure Stroud is protected.
But injuries keep piling up.
Jalen Camp, receiver: Camp has been with the Texans since 2021, playing mostly on the practice squad. He’s been a guy they could go to when an injury occurs.
But he didn't show much in the preseason games. He had two targets and no catches for the second preseason game in a row Sunday. Camp finished the preseason with one catch for 11 yards on seven targets.
The Texans are fairly deep at wide receiver this season. If Steven Sims doesn’t make the roster, he’ll likely be one of the first priorities for the practice squad, assuming he clears waivers. Sims' ability to return punts and kicks is valuable.
That isn’t great news for Camp.