September 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Texans center Chris Myers (55) prepares to snap the ball to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) during the first quarter against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Texans defeated the Raiders 30-14. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans had center Chris Myers in the lineup every game for seven straight seasons. Now for the first time in 112 games, Houston will have to field a starting offensive line without his services. Myers was cut this week and the veteran of course took the high road on his way out, as quoted by ESPN.com.
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"“I’ve just been very grateful about the situation over the last seven years,” Myers said in a telephone interview. “It’s not like I have any negative feelings or hard feelings or bitterness. What you learn as a pro early on is it’s everyone’s time at some point in different scenarios. I’m just real grateful for the relationships that you build over the years and the time that we had in Houston.”"
The center position seems to be under valued at times, but is incredibly important. Having a solid guy in the middle to set the line and call blitz protections is key to a successful blocking scheme. It’s even more important when your team has questions at the quarterback position and will lean heavily on their rushing game.
Last season’s starting left guard Ben Jones was listed as the team’s back up center. So one option to replace Myers would be to move him there full time and promote 2014 second round pick Xavier Su’a-Filo to the starting lineup.
If the team decides to keep Jones where he is, the draft will be the most likely place to find a replacement for Myers. Here’s a quick glance at three of the guys available at the center position in the 2015 draft.
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