The Houston Texans offensive line is now improved with the addition of Marcus Cannon, as the Texans made a trade with the New England Patriots.
Cannon can play either tackle or guard for the Texans, though if he plays right guard for Houston this season, that means Tytus Howard will stay at right tackle, and at left tackle will be Laremy Tunsil, which makes the most sense.
Cannon didn’t play in the NFL this past season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now following a year off, the Patriots made a trade with the Texans where Houston gains Cannon. The two teams are also swapping three draft picks, which are reported to be the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.
This is an excellent deal for the Texans, whether if Cannon plays guard or tackle for the Texans, but the thought here is Howard has earned the right to play right tackle, and Cannon moves inside to guard, which would make for an excellent right side of the offensive line.
A trade among old friends: The #Patriots are trading OT Marcus Cannon to the #Texans, sources say, in a deal that includes swapping picks. Cannon does return after a year away, but not in New England – and Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio do a trade.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2021
Houston Texans: A closer look at Marcus Cannon
The reason reported as to why Marcus Cannon sat out the 2020 season was because he is a cancer survivor, and with the COVID-19 pandemic going strong at the time of the season, it was a smart and responsible decision by Cannon to opt out of this past season.
Again, this trade makes great sense for the Houston Texans because Cannon is an improvement to the offensive line compared to last season, and the trade itself was inexpensive with a swap of draft picks between the Texans and the Patriots.
During the last season Cannon played in the league, according to Pro Football Focus he played in 1,008 snaps, where he had just three penalties and he also allowed six sacks at tackle. His 2019 grade by PFF was 68.0. In the 2018 season, Cannon’s PFF grade was 73.7 overall, a season where he played 836 snaps with seven penalties and two sacks allowed.
For the time being, the Texans offensive line could be Laremy Tunsil (LT), Max Scharping (LG), Cohl Cabral/Justin Britt (C), Marcus Cannon (RG), and Tytus Howard (RT). That isn’t such a bad offensive line to start the season with and to see how that group grows.
If nothing else, Cannon is a great veteran to add to the roster of the Texans, and his experience will be much needed as the Texans continue to prepare for the 2021 season.