Breaking down Houston Texans initial 53 man roster on offense

Houston Texans have their initial 53 man roster in place for the start of the 2019 season.

Quarterbacks (2)

Deshaun Watson and A.J. McCarron

There is no surprise from this group after the roster went from 90 to 53 players. Joe Webb III was placed on the injured reserve after suffering a serious leg injury against the Los Angeles Rams that will sideline him for the whole season. McCarron was back on the field against the Rams prior to the start of the game and is expected to be ready to be the backup signal-caller for the start of the season.

Running backs and Fullback (5)

Carlos Hyde, Duke Johnson, Taiwan Jones, Buddy Howell, and Cullen Gillaspia (FB).

Texans did not have much of a choice but to trade for a veteran back after losing Lamar Miller to a serious knee injury for the entire 2019 season. Carlos Hyde will take most of the snaps as the main running back while Duke Johnson will be the complimentary back that can line up out wide as a receiver and take some of the load from Hyde in the run game. Taiwan Jones, Buddy Howell, Cullen Gillaspia will contribute mainly on special teams.

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Wide receivers (5)

DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, Keke Coutee, DeAndre Carter, and Kenny Stills.

Texans have arguably one of their deepest core of receivers since head coach Bill O’Brien took over in 2014. Barring any injury, Hopkins and Fuller will be the boundary receivers while Coutee will be the slot receiver once he returns back healthy. Carter will be the returner on special teams and contribute if needed in the slot while Stills works his way into the offense. Stills will be a great fifth option as he is capable to line up at all three positions at receiver and be another deep threat for Watson.

Tight ends (5)

Jordan Thomas, Darren Fells, Jordan Akins, Jerell Adams, Kahale Warring

The biggest surprise from this group is the inclusion of Jerell Adams in the Texans 53 man roster. There was very little question that he could not contribute on an NFL team, but due to a numbers game, it seemed he was the odd man out. Texans are likely not finished tweaking the roster and one of these players will be out of the 53 once the week is up. Adams could ultimately be waived or traded if Kahale Warring is not placed on the team’s injured reserve list after missing most of the preseason with a concussion.

Offensive line (9)

Laremy Tunsil, Seantrel Henderson, Roderick Johnson, Max Scharping, Tytus Howard, Senio Kelemete, Zach Fulton, Greg Mancz, and Nick Martin.

There is a lot to breakdown after the trade with the Miami Dolphins that netted them Laremy Tunsil. The acquisition spelled the end for the Matt Kalil experiment at left tackle and stabilizes the left side of the Texans’ offensive line for years to come. Losing two first-rounders and a future second-round draft choice hurts, but the Texans are a better team as a collective unit with a left tackle capable of protecting quarterback, Deshaun Watson.

Despite the loss of draft picks, the Texans are a better team entering the 2019 season than they were at the beginning of the preseason. With Andrew Luck’s retirement from the Indianapolis Colts, Texans have a clear shot to win the division and take a leap forward as an offense.