Dan Orlovsky

Tuesday was a good day for Texans quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Rex Grossman.

Schaub, who suffered a sprained ankle in the third preseason game against Minnesota, returned to practice, and, barring any setbacks, looks as if he'll be able to start Sunday's opener against the New York Jets.

Grossman, who was 9-of-16 for 197 yards and two touchdowns in Friday's 27-20 victory at Tampa Bay, was named as Schaub's backup over Dan Orlovsky.

“He took a big step forward today,” coach Gary Kubiak said of Schaub after practice. “He took half the reps in practice, so he's progressing toward getting ready to go.

“Rex will be our No. 2 going into the game. As I told Dan and Rex, ‘I'm leaning towards Rex's experience and the way he's handled himself and the way he handled the team (at Tampa Bay).'

“I'm just very comfortable with him right now. Matt has been hobbled, so they both need to be ready to go.”