Hawkeyes in NFL: James Ferentz tries to stick

You have to do some serious dot-connecting to get from undrafted free agent to holder of an Opening Day NFL roster spot.

Without any preseason games in the book, it would be folly to suggest any UFAs are likely to be in uniform come Week 1 of the NFL regular season. But Houston Texans center James Ferentz is off to a good start if you believe things being written and said about him.

Texans veteran center Chris Myers called Ferentz 'an MVP for week 1' (of training camp).

'He's out here grinding away,' Myers said. 'He's doing his thing, he's focusing on what he needs to do and he's grinding away in the run game. So I'm impressed by his overall football game.'

It doesn't hurt Ferentz that his brother, Brian Ferentz, was the New England Patriots tight ends coach when Texans head coach Bill O'Brien was the Patriots' offensive coordinator. It was interesting, in fact, that some written reports said Brian Ferentz was going to be O'Brien's offensive line coach when O'Brien left Penn State to take the Houston job in the offseason.

But as I've written repeatedly, pro football isn't a sentimental business, and roster spots are precious.

James Ferentz was Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins mini-camps in the spring of 2013, but that was as far as that went. Whatever he's been doing to stay in NFL shape and be ready to give the league another good try has worked, and I'll have details on that (it includes working at an Iowa City carpet store) later this month.

O'Brien said Ferentz has practiced well enough to give himself a 'chance to make the team.' For an UFA, a chance is all you can ask. ...

A rookie who is virtually certain to make the Texans' team is tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz of Iowa, Houston's third-round draft pick last May. He was the fourth tight end taken in the 2014 draft.

The depth chart shows vet Garrett Graham the starter and second-year pro Ryan Griffith No. 2. Barring injury, Fiedorowicz will be on the opening-day roster barring injury, and he will play. ...

A third ex-Hawkeye on Houston's roster is linebacker Jeff Tarpinian. This is a man who has had brain surgery and is now competing on a full-time basis in the NFL. ...

Time flies. Defensive end Karl Klug is in his fourth year out of Iowa. He is in the final season of his first NFL contract, and he's fighting for a job.

This is someone who has played all 48 games for the Titans since they drafted him in the fifth round in 2011.

'It is hard to earn a spot here, but it's extremely tough to keep it,' Klug said. 'I'll have my hands full to stay here because we changed some things, and they brought in some new guys.'

This is a tough racket.