The Terrion Arnold case has returned to court on Friday, for a hearing on whether he’ll be required to wear a GPS monitor while on house arrest pending trial on eight felony charges.
The core question is whether he’ll be practicing or playing football in 2026. If so, the judge likely will stick with the ruling made while Arnold was still on the Lions’ roster. If not, it’s more likely that Arnold will be required to follow the standard home-confinement protocol and wear a device.
The evidence supporting Arnold’s position has come from his agent, Nicole Lynn. Via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Lynn testified that four teams have inquired about Arnold: the Colts, Jets, Seahawks, and Texans. She said that he visited and worked out for the Texans, per Birkett. (That workout has yet to appear on any of the daily NFL transaction reports.)
Lynn added that there is a “very good likelihood” Arnold will be signed in the next 45 days.
The next question will be whether any of those teams will confirm their interest in Arnold, or act on it. Often, if a player who works out for a team isn’t promptly signed, he’s not going to be signed by that team — at least not in the immediate future.
The other question looming over Arnold is whether the NFL will place him on the Commissioner Exempt list (i.e., paid leave). If a team has reason to think that’s coming, it will have less reason to sign him.
Regardless, the testimony worked. The judge, per Birkett, denied the prosecution’s motion. Arnold will not be required to wear a GPS device. He remains confined to his home with the exception of work and meetings with attorneys.
The Texans have announced their open practice schedule for this summer’s training camp.
Camp will begin on July 29 and the team’s first open practice will be held on Saturday, August 1. The rest of the open sessions will take place on August 3-5, August 7-8, August 10 and August 18.
All of those practices will be held at the team’s training facility at 9 a.m. except for the August 8 practice. That workout will get underway at 6 p.m.
The August 18 practice will be a joint session with the Raiders. The Texans will also practice with the Panthers in Charlotte later in the month.
The acquisition of NFL Network includes an uptick in preseason games televised by ESPN.
ESPN has annouced that NFL Network will televise 19 live, out-of-market games during the three-week 2026 preseason.
Twelve more out-of-market games will be available live via the ESPN App’s Unlimited plan.
ESPN will televise one preseason game — Raiders at Texans on August 20. It will be the national TV debut of rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, if he plays in the game.
All 48 preseason games will be re-aired on NFL Network, as usual.
The preseason begins on Thursday, August 13. It ends on Saturday, August 29.
As a rookie, Woody Marks led the Texans in rushing attempts (196) and rushing yards (703). He played 52 percent of the snaps in the 16 games he played.
Marks, though, had a long run of only 23 yards, 39 runs for first downs and two touchdowns.
The Texans traded for David Montgomery in the offseason, and they consider him a “three-down back.”
Thus, Marks is preparing for a pass-catching role this season.
“I think the key for Woody is understanding his role, which he does,” running backs coach and assistant head coach Danny Barrett told Aaron Wilson of KPRC. “He’s going to get lots of opportunities. Last year we brought him along slower, which was good to help him kind of learn the game, and once he learned the game, he played a lot faster. And you can see him now playing even faster. So, his role is going to pick up some third downs, special teams. He’s a kickoff return guy. But, more importantly, probably in the passing game as well. Just his level of confidence in the offense going into Year 2 is at an all-time high right now. We’ve got to keep it there.”
Marks had 24 receptions for 208 yards and three touchdowns last season, including a 50-yard catch-and-run.
“Nick Caley is doing a great job right now,” Marks told Wilson. “Got me doing all types of routes, learning the route tree. Just get outside and just using me as he can so I can be productive.”
David Montgomery went from the No. 1 back in Detroit to playing second fiddle to Jahmyr Gibbs over the last three seasons, but the Texans still think Montgomery is capable of being the lead back in an offensive attack.
The Texans traded for Montgomery early in the offseason in an attempt to bolster a rushing attack that finished 22nd in the league in yards last season. Running backs coach and assistant head coach Danny Barrett said that he sees Montgomery playing a big role in the bid to change those fortunes.
“He’s a three-down back,” Barrett said, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. “He can do it all. It first starts with his mentality. He comes to work every day, same guy every day. How can I get better? The first meeting we had, we talked about how can we get better. He wants to be the best. Leave a mark on the game, but also helping the young guys develop that mindset. He’s going to finish every run. He’s going to finish every block. And it’s just that type of mentality that he’s brought to our room that’s going to carry us to the next level with the talent that we have.”
Woody Marks led the Texans in rushing as a rookie last season, but he doesn’t profile as the same kind of threat that Gibbs has become in Detroit. That leaves plenty of room for Montgomery to put his stamp on the backfield in Houston and the Texans hope it will be part of an offensive surge this fall.
