Keylan Rutledge’s first nine days of training camp included bringing a relentless mindset — and a rookie talent show in which he sung a cappella.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Keylan Rutledge’s first big test of training camp this summer didn’t come on the practice field.
It came in an afternoon team meeting in front of all his teammates.
Every year during training camp, there is a talent show, and the rookies for the Houston Texans must do one of two things. They must showcase a unique talent, or they must sing a song.
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It’s a rite of passage of sorts for NFL rookies. One by one they perform, often to the amusement of their coaches and veteran teammates who once did it before them.
Rutledge, Houston’s first-round pick, chose to sing. He sang “Let Me Love You,” by the R&B singer Mario.
But there was a catch. He had to sing it a cappella.
So imagine this for a second: Rutledge, a 6-foot-4, 330-pound offensive lineman, with no music to support him, singing “Baby, you should let me love you… let me be the one to, give you everything you want and need.”
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His teammates dug the performance and found it hilarious.
“He had the energy, he had the swagger,” said left tackle Aireontae Ersery, who graded Rutledge’s performance a nine out of 10. “But it was definitely funny to watch.”
Rutledge, though, was a little more critical.
“I did alright,” Rutledge told the Houston Chronicle. “I wish I would have went about 10 seconds longer. Everybody started singing, then I left prematurely. They were giving me a hard time, but I got a lot of claps, so I did alright.”
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Houston Texans wide receiver Lewis Bond (82) reaches out for a reception against cornerback Brandon Codrington (17) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Lewis Bond (82) reaches out for a reception against cornerback Brandon Codrington (17) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson (19) dives to make a catch against cornerback Jaylin Smith (22) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (81) leaps over cornerback Stephen Hall (41) for a catch during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Montrell Washington (16) comes down with a reception against cornerback Brandon Codrington (17) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) throws a pass during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) throws a pass during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans cornerback Jaylin Smith (22) breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Treyvhon Saunders (14) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans cornerback Jaylin Smith (22) breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Treyvhon Saunders (14) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Lewis Bond (82) comes down with a reception against safety Jalen Pitre (5) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Josh Kelly makes a catch against cornerback Eljah Huzzie (28) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws a pass during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson (19) runs upfield after a catch against cornerback Stephen Hall (41) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (81) makes a catch against cornerback Jaylin Smith (22) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins runs with the ball after making a catch against cornerback Kamari Lassiter (3) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans wide receiver Josh Kelly (85) leaps for a reception during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans running back David Montgomery (32) makes a catch during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans quarterbacks Davis Mills (10) and Graham Mertz (18) drop back to pass during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans quarterbacks C.J. Stroud (7) and Davis Mills (10) drop back to pass during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover (8) makes a catch during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz eyes a football as he makes a catch during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans safety Jaylen Reed runs a tackling drill during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock (2) runs a tackling drill during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock (2) runs a tackling drill during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock (2) hits a blocking dummy during a drill during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans linebackers Jake Hummel (33) and K.C. Ossai (52) run a drill during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans cornerback Tremon Smith (11) hauls in a catch during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter reaches out to make a catch during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans cornerback Stephen Hall makes a catch during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans cornerback Collin Wright makes a catch during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock reaches down to pick up a loose ball during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock hits a blocking sled during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans safety Kaevon Merriweather reaches down to pick up a loose ball during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans safety Reed Blankenship (6) hits a blocking sled during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans works with linebacker Wade Wood (30) during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (3) and safety Calen Bullock (2) walk to the field during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Houston Texans linebacker K.C. Ossai hits a goal post pad while doing handwork during an NFL training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
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Last week’s talent show won’t be his only test.
Rutledge is trying to prove he is deserving of a starting spot on the offensive line this season, and possibly at center — a position he’s never played in a full game. The Texans began working him out at guard, but he has since played more center in recent practices.
It’s been an adjustment. As the center, the ball starts in his hands as he snaps the ball to the quarterback. He’s responsible for making sure everyone on the offense is on the same page.
But Rutledge insists the transition “has been great.” Perhaps thanks to his wife Lauren, who served as his unofficial quarterback before camp to make sure his snaps were perfect.
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Now that camp is well into its second week, Rutledge has been on point. He’s had successes and mishaps. And he’s trying to learn from them — trading advice with the defensive linemen he goes against, and watching film with his coaches after every practice.
In addition to adjusting to pro football, Keylan Rutledge is also getting used to center, a position he didn’t play at Georgia Tech, where he was a guard.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Every moment is a learning lesson and an opportunity to get better. Even the good ones.
He’s put a lot of defenders into the ground with his blocks, and has even got into a few scuffles through the first eight days because he’s often playing through the whistle and sometimes past it — all things he coaches have come to expect and love. One of his shoving matches was against All-Pro edge rusher Danielle Hunter.
“I try to highlight him in our team meetings because that’s what we’re looking for,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “When you have that type of mindset at offensive line, it’s a problem for defenders because you’re just a pest. You can’t get rid of guys and that’s what he is. He’s a nuisance for the defense and that’s what he’s going to be for us and I love every bit of it.”
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But he’s learning that in practice, against his own teammates, he has to dial it back some.
On one of the first days of training camp, he pancaked linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair about 10 yards downfield and hung over him for a few seconds after.
“That’s just the best of the best competing,” Rutledge said, while also acknowledging he needs to do a better job of protecting his teammates on the defense in practice.
Al-Shaair said he wasn’t upset. He understood it, adding that he likes the mentality Rutledge brings.
“It was just good because the mentality in general, like pads (or) no pads, he’s just trying to work hard,” Al-Shaair said. “The thing I always talk to him about is just working smart. That’s a different level of being a pro.
“I think I’d rather tell you to slow down or be smart than to tell you, ‘Hey man, you got to pick it up.’ I feel like seeing him doing that, I got up and I was okay, so I’m not mad at it. I play the game hard too.”
That relentlessness is part of why the Texans brought him to Houston. Ryans wanted to change the mindset of this offensive line from one that rarely defended their quarterback when he was hit late, to one that is mean and nasty and will fight for him, if that’s what it takes.
Texans rookie Keylan Rutledge has earned praise from coach DeMeco Ryans and veteran teammates for the snarl he’s brought to an offensive line that lacked it in previous seasons.
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Rutledge embodies that.
He describes himself as a “relentless competitor.”
“A lot of guys want to win. I want to win and dominate,” said Rutledge, the 26th pick in the draft. “Everything I want to do I want to dominate. I’m a perfectionist. It’s not good enough if I just block the guy.”
Rutledge didn’t play center at Georgia Tech. His primary position was right guard. But when he was going through the pre-draft process, he knew that preparing at center as well, would give him a better shot at competing for a starting job somewhere.
He practiced at center during the Senior Bowl, one of the big offseason events for draft prospects, to show teams he was versatile.
Now having done it throughout the spring and into the summer, he says he feels a lot more comfortable.
“I’m kind of really enjoying it,” he said. “Learning how different it is than guard, but there are a lot of similarities. And just getting comfortable with the playbook, and obviously snapping the ball has been great.”
When asked what he’s most looking forward to this season, Rutledge said he’s looking forward to learning and winning. His accolades matter less. So does the singing.
“Sometimes you’ve got to fail to win,” he said. “Just don’t look at it as a failure. Look at it as a growing process, and growing pains. … But in the long run, it’s to win. If there’s one thing, I want to go out there and win. It doesn’t matter about my success.”