The Houston Texans preseason campaign is underway as they kicked off Thursday evening on the road against the New England Patriots. That matchup marks the start of an action-packed NFL weekend with four days of game action. The Texans begin the real deal on September 10th against the Baltimore Ravens, and the goal in the next month is to keep everyone healthy and have everyone ready for week one. In fact, optimism is building around an important return before that first game.

Texans right tackle Tytus Howard has been dealing with a hand injury as of late. He broke his hand in two different places and had to get some metal put in to help with the healing process. However, despite how serious that sounds, Howard has not been ruled out for that week one game against the Ravens, according to a tweet from Aaron Wilson. Houston is still unclear just how long he will have to be out, but the possibility of missing no regular season time is still alive. The original timeline given was four to six weeks.

Last season, and most seasons in the recent past, was a bleak one for the Texans. Houston went 3-13-1 last season, but for the first time in awhile, there is a new sense of hope around the Texans fan base.

Houston did have one of the top picks in the NFL Draft and took former Ohio State football QB standout CJ Stroud. The preseason hasn't gotten off to a great start for him as he threw an interception on the first drive for the Texans, but he definitely has the potential to be a game-changer in Houston.

Let's hope for the best for Tytus Howard, and perhaps he'll be back and protecting Stroud when the Texans take the field on September 10th.