Bears' Fox coached Texans QB Osweiler for three seasons

Sunday's opponent, the Houston Texans, went 9-7 last season with current Chicago Bears backup Brian Hoyer taking most of the snaps, and they won the AFC South for the third time in five years.

But in the offseason, they paid $72 million over four years, including $37 million guaranteed, to sign former Broncos backup Brock Osweiler as, hopefully, their franchise quarterback. Osweiler had just seven career starts in four years in Denver, all of which came last season when Peyton Manning was hurt.

How well Osweiler plays will go a long way toward determining if the Texans defend their AFC South title.

Bears coach John Fox was the Broncos' coach in Osweiler's first three seasons, when he threw a total of 30 passes. So Fox was asked how the 6-foot-7, 240-pound second-round pick out of Arizona State has changed.

“We don't get to see a whole lot in the preseason, just by the nature of how people play their starters,” Fox said. “But Brock is highly intelligent. He spent a couple good years under a pretty good guy in Peyton Manning.

“He's wired right from a mental standpoint. He's big; he's tall. He's athletic for a tall man. He hangs in the pocket pretty well. They've got an increase in athleticism at the receiver position through the draft. He's had a good preseason, and he's very capable.”

The Texans also increased their speed when they drafted wide receivers Will Fuller in the first round and Braxton Miller in Round 3. Fuller ran a 4.32 at the Scouting Combine and Miller clocked a 4.41.

It's a process:

First-round draft pick Leonard Floyd has flashed the athleticism that motivated the Bears to take him ninth overall, but he's a work in progress.

“Overall, his camp was kind of choppy and inconsistent,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said of the 6-foot-4, 240-pound outside linebacker, noting that illness and nagging injuries affected his progress.

Floyd will start the season as a backup, a different role than at Georgia, when he usually didn't come off the field. Limited reps, according to Fangio, can help the maturation of a young player like Floyd.

“I don't think he's in the greatest condition right now,” Fangio said. “For a young guy like himself, playing 60 to 70 plays in an NFL game, he's going to find it vastly different than the 80 plays he might have played in college.

“He's up against men now, and he's found that out quickly. It's not a bad way to break in. When we had Aldon Smith in his rookie year (with the 49er), he only played about 50-some percent of the time.”

Injury report:

Eight players were limited at Wednesday's practice, which began outside but moved inside the Walter Payton Center when torrential rains descended on the area.

Guard Kyle Long (shoulder), cornerbacks Bryce Callahan (groin) and Kyle Fuller (knee), fullback Paul Lasike (wrist), wide receiver Deonte Thompson (knee, ankle), defensive end Cornelius Washington (ankle/knee) and safety Deon Bush (hamstring) were less than 100 percent.

Full up:

Offensive lineman Laurence Gibson was added practice squad, which now stands at the maximum 10.

The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Virginia Tech product was a seventh-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys last year and spent time on the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad.

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