Houston Texans: 5 moves needed to compete with Indianapolis Colts in 2019

1. To win in the NFL, you need to win in the trenches

Offensive line is the biggest weakness for the Houston Texans. This is common knowledge for any fan who routinely watches Houston. The offensive line will most likely get a massive overhaul during the offseason, but what exactly needs to change?

To start, the Texans have a solid anchor at the center position in Nick Martin. Martin was rated as the No. 21 center per Pro Football Focus. Martin has the highest PFF rating among his fellow offensive linemen in Houston. The first move the Texans ought to make to solidify the group is to use their some of their $74 million in cap room and seek out at least two free agent offensive linemen.

If the Texans are serious about protecting Watson, they should be rolling out the red carpet for tackle Trent Brown. A former seventh-round selection by the San Francisco 49ers, Brown has solidified himself as one of the better left tackles in the game. Last season he played with the New England Patriots, protecting Tom Brady’s blindside as they won the Super Bowl.

The alternative to protecting Watson’s blindside could come in the form of rookie tackle Cody Ford of the Oklahoma Sooners. Ford is projected to be a first-round selection, and he could still potentially be available when Houston gets its chance to pick at No. 23 overall.

At the NFL Combine, Ford had a 5.21 40-yard dash for an offensive tackle and had 19 reps in the bench press as NFL.com’s Zierlein compares Ford to Brandon Brooks of the Philadelphia Eagles and formally of the Texans.

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