Houston Texans make a move to bolster the offensive line

The Houston Texans haven't been exactly solid up front along the offensive line so far in preseason. They have had their ups and downs but with a rookie quarterback in C.J. Stroud, protecting their young signal caller should be priority number one.

It seems Texans general manager Nick Caserio agrees with this sentiment. He pulled the trigger on a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to acquire offensive tackle Josh Jones. The deal also includes a seventh-rounder being sent to Houston, while the Cardinals receive a fifth-round selection from the Texans. Jones was a third-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2020 NFL Draft but didn't play much during his rookie year.

Jones was the odd man out in Arizona and Caserio needed to bolster the Texans offensive line. PFF rated Jones a 75.8 overall and a 75.9 in pass blocking. His run-blocking grade is solid too with a 74.0. According to PFF he was in on 622 offensive snaps, allowed four sacks, and committed nine penalties. In 2021, he played 852 snaps, again allowed only four sacks, but committed 12 penalties. The penalties are a concern but hopefully, he can learn to be more disciplined this season.

There is one huge plus with Jones, even though he is currently listed as an offensive tackle, he played 612 snaps in 2021 at right guard. He has experience at both left and right tackle as well. He brings a ton of versatility to the Texans' offensive line, and I can see a world where he might unseat Kenyon Green as one of the starting guards.

Green has shown tremendous growth this preseason in pass-blocking, earning a grade of 84.9 from PFF; however, his run-blocking skills haven't shown much improvement, which is where Jones could come in. The Texans will need to find the five best linemen and whether that includes Jones or Green, they have to protect their future at quarterback at all costs.

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