One of the unsung players for the Houston Texans for the 2021 NFL season will be offensive lineman Tytus Howard, as he has the ability to play both tackle and guard in the trenches this season.
Howard is a former first-round pick by the Texans in 2019, and though at the time some questioned the choice on draft day, since then Howard has been an excellent addition to the Houston franchise and a player many need to take more notice of during training camp.
The 25-year old Howard enters his third season in the NFL after being a 23rd overall pick in ’19, and since then he’s played in 22 games, including 14 last season. Howard played in 83 percent of the offensive plays for the Texans in ’20. For his career, in 22 games played, Howard has allowed only four sacks.
Entering the ’21 regular season, there are questions as to where Howard will be playing on Sundays, as he could stay at right tackle, or he could slide down to guard and use his talents on the interior o-line.
Texans RT Tytus Howard briefly got his left leg examined by trainer after limping off, but went back in and finished the practice with no issues. He has played right tackle primarily, his natural spot, but Texans also looking at him at left guard and LT to build versatiluty
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 4, 2021
Houston Texans: Tim Kelly knows how important Tytus Howard is for 2021
On Wednesday, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly spoke to the Houston media, and in transcripts provided by HoustonTexans.com, the offensive coordinator gave praise to the 6’5, 322-pound offensive lineman when speaking about Howard’s versatility:
"“It allows us to get our five best on the field. Especially at that position, it’s the sum of all five parts. So, having a person who not only can handle it physically but can handle it mentally allows us, again, to get the five best players on the field and not necessarily just pigeonhole someone into one specific position.”"
It will be exciting to see how Howard is used on the Houston Texans offensive line in ’21. The Texans coaching staff must make the correct choice because Howard is a very important part of the offensive line, and in this rebuild of the unit, he and Laremy Tunsil – the left tackle of the Texans – need to be used to the very best of their abilities as they are returning to a unit that will see a good amount of change.
Since Howard joined the Texans back in ’19, he has helped make the offensive line better than it was before he was drafted by the franchise. Howard has blocked well for quarterback Deshaun Watson, as he’s allowed the aforementioned four sacks in two seasons.
Howard is a player than everyone who is a fan of the Houston Texans must know about, and the opponents of the Texans better not overlook Howard whether if he is a guard or a tackle, because the odds should be he’ll have success at either position.
The great thing about Howard is he’s confident in his abilities, and when a final decision is made on what position he’ll play in ’21, the Texans won’t have to worry much about this defender getting to the quarterback. If he does play guard, who knows, maybe the inside rushing game will be better too.
Though as a team the Houston Texans aren’t complete just yet, there are no worries as to what Tytus Howard will bring to the field each and every week.