Houston Texans Have Drastically Improved the Offensive Line Overnight

The Houston Texans have improved their offensive line immensely after surrendering a league-high 62 sacks in 2018.

The Houston Texans have drastically improved their offensive line woes, which was essentially the only option with a young superstar quarterback like Deshaun Watson. Not only did they trade for Laremy Tunsil who is a top 5 left tackle, but they also invested their first two draft picks in Tytus Howard and Max Scharping. Howard and Scharping have quickly been able to justify the Texans investing such high draft picks in them, as they have become solid options to start at both guard spots if needed.

The greater significance of having both rookies is that it allows Zach Fulton to possibly move to the center position, which could be a significant upgrade over the incumbent Nick Martin. Granted, it would take a lot for the Texans brass to not start Martin, as they’ve always been very high on him, but the reality is Fulton could be an upgrade at the center position.

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In addition, the Texans have Seantrel Henderson returning from the broken ankle that ended his season prematurely last year. It’ll be interesting to see how Henderson plays right out the gate because up-and-comer Roderick Johnson has played lights out in the pre-season, even drawing praises from Deshaun Watson. Watson had the below to say about Johnson following the third preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

"“He’s been doing a heck of a job and I’m comfortable sitting in the pocket with him at left tackle,”"

It’s not as if Henderson is bad, but he has struggled to stay healthy with only playing a total of nine games over the last three years despite only being 27 years old. It would be intriguing to see the team start Johnson at right tackle and Fulton at center.

Either way, it’s a great problem to have such depth on the offensive line and is an overnight fix to a gigantic hole that’s been plaguing the Texans for years. This current offensive line group could very well be reminiscent of the days in which the team had stability with Eric Winston, Wade Smith, Chris Myers, Mike Brisiel and Duane Brown.

This could also be the rotation for many years to come with a talented young core in place that can continue to improve as a collective unit. This is one area where Bill O’Brien definitely got it right, as it’s important to invest in the future and health of Deshaun Watson.

Needless to say, the offensive line is potentially better than it has been past since head coach Bill O’Brien took over in 2014.