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The Texans are gearing up for their preseason opener. Houston will open up preseason play on the road against the New England Patriots on Thursday night. ESPN is reporting that starting right tackle Tytus Howard is expected to miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery on Monday to repair a broken hand. Howard signed a three-year, 56-million-dollar extension before the start of training camp. In a pair of other moves, the team signed defensive tackle Khalil Davis and placed offensive tackle Greg Little on injured reserve.