3 most concerning positions for Houston Texans this year
By Chad Porto
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Offensive line
Let's be very clear, Laremy Tunsil isn't an issue. He's the reason we have hope. Hope that the offensive line can be better than it was in 2023. Shaq Mason is also a very good piece of the line. He's not a top guy in the NFL, but he's easily the number two player on the Texans offensive line. Outside of those two players, the offensive line needs a lot of help.
Tytus Howard was awful in 2023, and while he did have a big 2022, he wasn't exactly great before the 2022 season. It's far more likely that 2022 was an outlier. Jarrett Patterson appears to be the starter at center in 2024 and as a rookie was fine. However, we need better than fine if we're looking at a major jump in improvement. Not only when talking about the run-blocking the team saw, but the pass-blocking as well. The running backs, namely Dameon Pierce, struggled to get traction, while C.J. Stroud was sacked 38 times in 2023. That puts him the 8th most in the NFL.
Patterson has to be better than fine. As does his colleague, Juice Scruggs, who looked all sorts of overwhelmed at times. He was injured to start the season and so he came in behind the eight-ball so to speak, but that doesn't mean that he can't take a major step forward.
There is potential on this line. They did draft Blake Fischer, so they're worried about the longevity and depth of the line as a whole. So hopefully the team continues to improve around Mason and Tunsil.