NFL Nation

          Mailbag: Why you keep a good long snapper on roster

          The Houston Texans reported for training camp Friday and the first practices of camp are Saturday morning at 8 a.m. CT. Before they hit the field, let's do a quick mailbag.

          Ganguli: I take no offense, and I think Texans long snapper Jon Weeks is accustomed to this line of thinking. The thing about that position is that it seems unimportant until something goes wrong. When it goes wrong, bad snaps can be catastrophic for teams. They can dramatically alter field position and cause turnovers that lead to scores for the opponent. Weeks has been dependable for the Texans and when you have someone who is good at the job, it's important to keep him. Long snapping is a unique skill, one that's quite a bit different from the skills required at center.

          Ganguli: I checked in with Chris Myers last week and he's not discussing his status. Myers was due $6 million this year, the last year on a deal he signed in the 2012 offseason. The Texans cut him in March but did reach back out to him recently about returning to the team. They're going into training camp without him, and so far a reunion does not seem imminent. What's interesting is that despite his departure, Myers still has an impact on the Texans. On Friday, right guard Brandon Brooks said he still reaches out to Myers to ask for advice on his play.

          Ganguli: His progress is something I'll definitely be watching during camp. The main reason you haven't heard much about Benardrick McKinney so far is that it's so hard to judge linebackers in non-padded practices. I'm hesitant to do it and so are many people watching those practices. He was in the rotation during that time. You want a guy drafted there to be a starter fairly soon, but I wouldn't be shocked if he's eased into that at some point in the season. We'll know a lot more over the next few weeks.

          Ganguli: It's good news that DeAndre Hopkins was not placed on the physically unable to perform list. Last we heard from Bill O'Brien, he said they'd have Hopkins in camp and I'm getting the feeling his condition is good. We'll see how much he does Saturday morning, but I wouldn't be overly concerned about that one.

          Ganguli: It seems right now that Nate Washington is a prime candidate for that spot right now. He mentioned Friday that the coaches often say this is a copycat league, which means concepts get recycled. That likely gives Washington the upper hand in having to learn a new system. He can stretch the field and would be a good complement to DeAndre Hopkins. At his age (he'll be 32 during the season) he's not a long-term solution, but he'll do well in the short term.

          Ganguli: We've seen a few hints at what they've filmed so far. Vince Wilfork's wife, Bianca, posted photos from a family trip to the circus that "Hard Knocks" filmed. Hopkins posted on social media that the show joined him for a shopping trip. The quarterback battle could feature prominently on the show. O'Brien expects to decide it early in training camp. I'd be interested in seeing some of Jaelen Strong's journey. He was out of shape when he reported, then lost 20 pounds as of his weigh-in when he reported for training camp. I'm also interested in seeing the treatment they give O'Brien. He's got a strong and entertaining personality that will probably work well with the documentary show format.