How the latest injury bug affects the Houston Texans

With the 2023 season right around the corner, the Houston Texans will be without two more of their key players. First announced by the 33rd team’s Ari Meirov, the Houston Texans have placed two more players on injury reserve, punter Cameron Johnston and rookie center Juice Scruggs.

With the Texans already losing starting offensive guard Kenyon Green to season-ending injury reserve, the offensive line is suffering massive losses. With Scruggs out for the first four weeks of the regular season due to a hamstring injury, Houston is now without two of their key contributors who were expected to bring stability to the interior. 

Losing a player of Johnston’s caliber is another massive blow to the Texans' special teams. The 31-year-old punter was a dynamo last season. In 17 appearances, the veteran tied his career high with 48.1 yards per punt, with 37 of those being pinned inside of the 20. Players with that level of efficiency on their kicks don’t grow on trees. Rookie Ty Zentner is the man enlisted to hold down the fort at the position. 

To counteract these losses, the Houston Texans have made a slew of moves. Bringing in offensive linemen Kendrick Green and Josh Jones from the Cardinals and Steelers respectively is a great start to trying to replicate the missing production. Both men have proven to be versatile chess pieces on the offensive line and have the chops to make an early impact for the Texans. 

And the team will certainly need that out of them. With a young offense, and rookie quarterback offensive line protection is paramount. The growing list of injuries is far from an encouraging sign, but one that is unfortunately a reality in the National Football League. The Texans made the necessary moves to band-aid themselves, now it’s on the new pieces to show what they are made of.

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