Houston Texans: How to fix the offensive line
By Pavithr Goli
There are many issues with the Houston Texans offensive line. How can the unit be fixed?
The Houston Texans offensive line is terrible, to say the least. Many of this season’s troubles can be attributed to the weak offensive line. For one, the offensive linemen have been unable to keep Deshaun Watson protected, making him one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the NFL.
Additionally, the weak offensive line has translated to a weak rushing attack. The offensive line’s failure to block opposing defensive linemen have rendered the running game almost inconsequential. Also, the offensive line has allowed 10 sacks entering Week 4.
It is clear, in order for the Texans to be able to contend any time in the future, a major upheaval to the offensive line is required. There are several ways that the Texans can go about solving this issue, and here are three ways to do so.
1. NFL Draft and Offseason
The 2019 NFL Draft class will include a litany of offensive linemen prospects. From Greg Little (Ole Miss) to Trey Adams (University of Washington) there is a wide range of talent the Texans can choose from.
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This is the best way to improve the offensive line as the players that come from the draft are young, meaning that they have a long time to develop and play their careers, instead of free agents who are more of rental players. Additionally, draftees have a great amount of potential, coming in with a great amount of talent and are very malleable.
Last but not least, draftees come at a low cost. Instead of a free agent, where teams have to pay millions of dollars for a player, draftees can come at a low cost, who sign a cheaper rookie contract.
In conjunction with the NFL Draft, the Texans should utilize the offseason to their greatest advantage. After this offseason, the Texans reserved a great amount of cap space. This cap space is crucial for the Texans because, with this extra money, General Manager Brian Gaine should be able to sign some star offensive linemen. This, in combination with the draft, should be able to fortify the Texans offensive line.
2. Trade
If the Texans decide to make themselves a playoff team this year, the Texans should strongly consider a trade. The Texans have great talent on their roster, which would surely attract the interest of general managers around the league.
If Gaine does indeed decide to trade for a high-caliber offensive linemen, a top talent player would have to be on the trading block. This would be an ill-advised move, but for teams that are as desperate for help as the Texans, it would make sense.
3. Train the current offensive line
If the Texans decide not to acquire a player during the draft and offseason or trade a player, the next best option is to stick with the current roster and train the players. This is the unlikeliest option of them all but still can be implemented. Similar to the development that Julién Davenport underwent over the offseason, the Texans could possibly do the same to the other offensive linemen.
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This training will not only make the offensive linemen better, but it will also help improve the chemistry all the players on the offense. By playing with the same group of offensive players, Watson and the running backs will become more accustomed to their blocking styles and playing styles, helping the Texans succeed.