McCarron (thumb) had the cast removed from his hand and threw during warmups prior to Thursday's preseason finale against the Rams, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCarron dressed for the game but, as expected, did not play. This is a positive sign for the Texans, who lost No. 3 quarterback Joe Webb to a serious foot injury Thursday. McCarron appears on track to play Week 1 against the Saints after he broke his right thumb during joint practice sessions against the Packers on Aug. 6.