Houston Texans: Necessary adjustments made to the offensive line
By Jair Lopez
The Houston Texans opted to start second-year offensive tackle Julie’n Davenport back on the left side for their Week 5 game vs. the Dallas Cowboys.
The Houston Texans have continued to tinker with the starting lineup to have their best lineup on game day, and rookie offensive lineman Martinas Rankin was the most recent player to be removed from the starting lineup.
From the beginning, Julie’n Davenport didn’t look comfortable anchoring the right side of the offensive line, and rightfully so after he spent the last two seasons working primarily as a left tackle.
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The assignments, technique and footwork are different across every position in the offensive line. Davenport looked better at left tackle against the Dallas Cowboys than he did the other games starting at the right tackle on Sunday Night Football.
Davenport did not allow a single sack from his side and he was disciplined enough to not draw a single yellow flag from the officials. He looked rather comfortable and under control after being benched last week at right tackle for veteran offensive tackle Kendall Lamm.
The Texans could have the better lineup moving forward with Davenport at left tackle and Lamm at right tackle. Rankin could be the swing tackle and he can continue to develop and get acclimated to the NFL level.
Rankin has valuable versatility as the reserve offensive lineman as he showed throughout the preseason that he is capable of sliding inside and playing guard.
The sooner the Texans find their best lineup the better due to the fact that they have very little synergy working together. The Texans have used several lineups due to poor performances and injuries but it is integral for them to settle down and stick to a single offensive line unit.
The only returning starting offensive lineman is Nick Martin, the rest of the players starting are either rookies, free agent signings, or players that played very little in the past for the Texans.
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If the offensive line continues to improve they’ll provide quarterback Deshaun Watson with very much needed protection as he took several big hits in his quest to get extra yards in their offensive drives versus the Dallas Cowboys.