3. Decisions made at defensive tackle
The nose tackle position for the Houston Texans is of great importance in their 3-4 scheme. Seeing D.J. Reader go to the Bengals for the largest contract in league history at the position wasn’t fun for the Texans, but even worse Texans news is they’ve yet to sign a veteran free agent to take his spot.
Not passing a physical seems to be the reason the Texans news that Timmy Jernigan didn’t become an official free agent signing, but if he’s not healthy that decision is understandable. Still, there are many tackles available currently that something could have been in place by now.
Granted, adding a player during the COVID-19 pandemic has been tricky, to say the least. The money Reader commanded was a very large price (four years, $53 million), but losing Reader will be tough for the Texans to overcome in the early stages of the season.
From the looks of the current roster, the Texans news will be that rookie Ross Blacklock could be the starter in Week 1, and that would mean the second round pick (40th overall) would make his NFL debut against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
All in all, the Texans hopefully will add to their interior defensive line with a veteran for Blacklock to learn from, but that veteran has to be able to produce, too. One player who could be that choice is Damon Harrison, who is currently a free agent.