5 Houston Texans players on the hot seat after Draft

Julien Davenport & Senio Kelemete

After the draft, the Houston Texans have Julién Davenport, Seantrel Henderson, Matt Kalil, Tytus Howard, Max Scharping, Roderick Johnson, Rick Leonard, and David Steinmetz at offensive tackle. Out of those names, Kalil, Henderson, Howard, Scharping, and Davenport are all in the mix to make the roster as offensive tackles.

Texans normally carry four offensive tackles and three guards into the regular season. Selecting two offensive tackles in the first two rounds of the draft is a strong statement from Texans general manager Brian Gaine to the current group of tackles.

Davenport’s future with the team is starting to look more doubtful especially since he was drafted by the previous front office. There is a scenario in which all of the five tackles in contention make the final roster, but that would lead to a ripple effect to the rest of the positions on the offensive line.

Gaine and head coach Bill O’Brien both praised Howard and Scharping’s ability to move inside and play guard, so it isn’t out of the question for one of them to be listed at guard their rookie season. Their versatility makes it a commodity and luxury for the Texans carry five players capable of playing at offensive tackle.

Texans group of guards currently consist of Zach Fulton, Senio Kelemete, Greg Mancz, Martinas Rankin, Maurquice Shakir, and Malcolm Pridgeon. The player whose future question comes into question if the Texans decide to go through with the decision of carrying five tackles on the roster would be Kelemete.

Texans invested more cap space in signing Fulton and drafted Rankin with a third-round with the intention of having him in their long term plans. Kelemete’s injury concerns along with his team-friendly deal could allow the Texans to make the move with little penalty towards the cap.