Concerns for the Houston Texans at center
The center position is the quarterback of the offensive line, making blocking adjustments as the opposing defenses line up. Juice Scruggs will probably be the starting center and will have his hands full trying to learn the position on the fly.
Is he up for the task, maybe? The Texans brass obviously thinks so since they traded up to select him in this year's draft, in what many believed to be a reach. If he can take the job and lock it down, it will go a long way in improving the overall line.
Similar to Kenyon Green, the Texans starting center in 2022, Scott Quessenberry was abysmal. Ranking 36th out of 36 centers, according to PFF. He received an overall grade of 36.6 and for a little context of just how bad he was, the player ranked 35th did so with a grade of 51.3.
Scruggs is likely an improvement overall but that’s not saying much over Quessenberry. Texans’ fans will hope that Scruggs is a quick learner and shows all the doubters why the Texans were willing to give up three picks to move up for him.
One of the things that stands out for Scruggs is he offers some flexibility. If Green doesn’t work out, he could potentially take the starting role at guard but the concern there is, that leaves Quessenberry the odds-on favorite to assume the starting spot at center again. One player though that isn’t talked about much is center Michael Deiter, who came over via free agency. Perhaps he surprises and takes the job at center, allowing Scruggs to move to guard.