Houston Texans: 5 questions to answer in Preseason Week 2
5. Is Tytus Howard a guard or tackle?
The first-round pick for the Houston Texans in 2019, Tytus Howard, made his NFL debut last Thursday against Green Bay at guard and tackle for the team, but which position will he be best at for the upcoming 2019 season?
There were good moments and moments that needed improvement for Howard in his preseason debut at both positions, but that is the great thing about preseason and training camp, which is this is the time players need to use to get in the necessary work to see where they help the team the most.
Texans' first-round pick Tytus Howard's performance was uneven in his first NFL action on Thursday.
— PFF HOU Texans (@PFF_Texans) August 11, 2019
- 37 snaps
- 47.0 overall grade
- 72.6 pass blocking grade
- 35.8 run blocking grade pic.twitter.com/8Z1JFtLAQo
That is exactly the case for Howard because right now as it seems he will be a guard once the regular season arrives, he still could bring great value to the team as a tackle as well, which is why the Texans coaching staff and front office get paid the big bucks … to make those types of decisions.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle quoted Howard on playing both guard and tackle last week in the preseason opener:
“I played the first quarter at guard and most of the second quarter at left tackle,” Howard said. “I felt pretty good switching out from guard to tackle. So that’s something I got to continue to work on and just get better.”
The second preseason game will keep the progress of Howard improving as he just needs to continue to work at both positions. Most likely at some point this season he could be asked to play both guard and tackle in the same game if and when injuries occur on the offensive line.
There was good and bad last Thursday from Howard, but the improvement seems like it will continue for the rookie offensive lineman as Week 2 will be interesting for sure.