Houston Texans positional breakdown: Offensive line

As we quickly approach the start of training camp, we break down the Houston Texans roster by position, this time with the offensive line

With the draft in the rearview mirror and mini-camps getting under way, the 2016 NFL season feels closer than ever. For fans of the Houston Texans, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about the start of this coming season.

To help us all get in the spirit, we will begin to break down the 2016 version of your Texans, and today the offensive linemen get their turn in the spotlight.

The O-line came into 2015 looking to be a strength of the team after just inking one of their bookend tackles, Derek Newton to a new deal, keeping him and Duane Brown manning the edges. They also had the 33rd overall pick from 2014, Xavier Su’a-Filo paired with the powerful Brandon Brooks at guard and former Georgia center Ben Jones in the middle.

Unfortunately that lineup rarely saw the field together as injuries plagued this unit at an alarming rate. The depth was thin to begin with, which was devastating as the Texans were forced to start players within days of picking them up off other team’s practice squads.

The passing game stayed respectable, but the running game suffered from this lack of experience. Things may look just as bleak to start 2016 after the team has lost both Jones and Brooks this offseason.

So how will the Texans offensive line look now that they have to replace those two guys? That’s exactly what we are about to find out.

Next: The book ends