Hansen Carted Off at Camp, and Houston's Linebacker Room Is Running Out of Bodies

Jake Hansen was carted off the practice field Wednesday, leaving him listed as questionable and leaving the Texans with a real problem at linebacker. The depth chart behind him is Jake Hummel and Henry To'oTo'o — fine names for a training camp roster, less reassuring as the names you're leaning on when your starter goes down before the first preseason snap.

Al-Shaair is still working through his own recovery, so both of the linebackers you'd expect to anchor this group are compromised heading into camp. That's not bad luck compounding on bad luck so much as it is a position that has had no margin for error and is now being asked to operate without any.

The front office spent big to lock in the defensive identity — the Anderson extension in June was a statement about what this team believes it is. But a pass rush only does so much if the linebackers behind it can't hold up. My read is the next two weeks of camp matter more at this position than anywhere else on the roster. Hummel and To'oTo'o will get a long look whether anyone planned for it or not.