Top 5 Houston Texans that nobody talks about

There are players on the Houston Texans that deserve more attention than they receive going into the 2020 season.

When many casual fans and football experts speak of the Houston Texans, the names that come when speaking of the reigning AFC South champions are players like J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson, as those two are the faces of the franchise.

There are other better known names like Brandin Cooks and Whitney Mercilus that also come up in conversation, but what about some of the younger players and unsung players who do more than enough to have their time in the spotlight when speaking of the Houston Texans?

That is where this ensuing list comes into play because though the Texans need the superstars like Watt and Watson, the players without the household name are important as well. Not only that, these members of the Houston Texans play a larger role than you might expect.

Next are 5 Houston Texans players who need spoken about more because they will be making an impact for this franchise in 2020.

5. Max Scharping, Left Guard

This will be the second season for Max Scharping in the NFL and with the Houston Texans, and after getting accustomed to the league early last season, the second-round selection did a solid job and worked his way to a starting role with the Texans as a rookie on their rebuilt offensive line.

Scharping played 938 snaps last season, totaling six penalties, and he also allowed three sacks. Pro Football Focus gave him a season grade of 56.7 in a season where Scharping played in all 16 games, making 14 starts. Scharping’s penalties consisted of just one holding call and four false starts.

Scharping also had a fumble recovery, where for the entire season he played 88 percent of the offensive snaps by the Texans and 17 percent of the special teams snaps (74). This season, more improvement will be needed from Max Scharping, but the good thing about him is that the guard has already shown he’s capable of making improvements on the go. Expect more solid play from Scharping in his second NFL season, as he’s also capable of playing tackle as well.

4. Angelo Blackson, Defensive End

Angelo Blackson might just be the most underrated defensive lineman on the Houston Texans, as the defensive end plays opposite of J.J. Watt in the Texans’ 3-4 defense.

Blackson is beginning his sixth season in the NFL, his fourth with the Texans. In his three seasons with Houston, Blackson has made 20 starts, including 15 last season. Blackson didn’t have a sack last season and wasn’t much of a pass rusher, finishing with 17 solo tackles, two tackles for loss and one QB hit.

Blackson didn’t record a blitz and he had just one QB hurry, so he doesn’t dazzle on the stat sheet, but he’ll still be an important part of the Houston defense from the right side. Blackson was graded at 43.9 by Pro Football Focus, so his name should become commonplace in training camp because he’s going to be battling for his starting role with Albert Huggins and Charles Omenihu currently in the reserve role.

3. Benardrick McKinney, Linebacker

This is another player on the Texans who has a starter’s role but is under the radar, and that is Benardrick McKinney at inside linebacker. In three of the past four seasons with the Texans, McKinney has had 100-tackle seasons, including two straight with 105 tackles in 2018 and 101 in 2019. In those same two seasons, McKinney has also had 2.5 sacks.

Now at left inside linebacker, McKinney, when he played right inside linebacker, had more sacks with six total in his first two seasons (five in 2016) at RILB compared to 5.5 in the past three seasons, including three in 2017.

McKinney is coming off a season where he was targeted in pass coverage 39 times, and the opponent made 35 receptions for 350 yards and five touchdowns as he had a PFF grade of 67.6.

2. DeAndre Carter, Wide Receiver

DeAndre Carter might not be the top option at wide receiver, but the Texans can really use him on the depth chart as not only a wide receiver, but on the special teams as well as possibly their top returner.

Carter does have a tough road ahead to keep his spot on the Texans’ roster, but he needs to be talked about because of his abilities for special teams because that is an undervalued role on the Texans, too. The numbers for returns weren’t much to talk about for Carter, but having him on the  two special teams units was needed for Houston.

The wide receiver had a PFF grade of 60 last season and in rare time on the field at receiver totaled 22 receptions for 214 yards, averaging 9.7 yards per reception, including a reception of 23 yards.

This might be tougher for Carter to make the Houston Texans roster in 2020 with so many solid players on the depth chart, but if he does, he’ll have had earned it, which should garner more attention to his name.

1. Lonnie Johnson Jr., Cornerback

Lonnie Johnson Jr. needs way more publicity his way entering his second season in the NFL because his rookie season saw him improve, make seven starts, play in 14 games and even get to play in two playoff games.

Johnson finished his rookie season with seven passes defensed and 34 solo tackles. Johnson didn’t have the best grade (36 by PFF), but he was targeted 52 times last season, allowing 35 receptions, which means he was challenged as a rookie.

This year, expect much more from Johnson because he knows what to expect, he was thrown into the mix and forced to learn the hard way as a rookie, and from his social media accounts this offseason, Johnson has been putting in the work to be better this season.