With the exception of quarterback, no position group will be more important to the Texans this season than their offensive line.
Unfortunately for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, he was unable to play with a full complement of offensive linemen during the offseason program that ended Wednesday.
Left tackle Laremy Tunsil, the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history and the Texans’ best player, elected to bypass everything but the mandatory two-day minicamp again. Left guard Kenyon Green and backup offensive tackle Charlie Heck were unable to participate in the offseason program because they were rehabbing injuries.
Heck, who’s entering his fourth season, is expected to be the third tackle again behind Tunsil and Tytus Howard. If Tunsil and Howard play the way they’re capable, new offensive line coach Chris Strausser and his assistant, Cole Popovich, could have one of the best tackle tandems in the league.
Strausser, who came to Houston from Indianapolis to coach for DeMeco Ryans, is the Texans’ fourth line coach in four seasons. That means Tunsil, Howard and Heck have been forced to learn a new system for a fourth year in a row. That ridiculous lack of stability hasn’t had a negative effect on their performance.
“I think Laremy can add stability,” Ryans said during the minicamp. “He can add that experience where guys have questions, like our rookies and younger guys, to lean on those veterans who have done it at a high level and a long time. Pro Bowl, All-Pro, whatever those accolades have been, he's been one of the top left tackles in the league.
“How can you gain some type of knowledge from a guy as a young player? I'm expecting our young guys to be sponges, hoping Laremy shares as much as possible to train the next guys who are coming after him to give them all the tips and tricks of the trade.”
After the first day of minicamp, the first team was on the sideline, and Stroud was seen picking Tunsil’s brain. Tunsil’s contribution, like Howard and nine-year veteran right guard Shaq Mason, is vital to the development of Green and rookies Juice Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson, second- and sixth-round draft choices who can play center and guard.
Depending on injuries and performance, at some point the line should have – left to right – Tunsil, Green, Scruggs, Mason and Howard – as the starters. If he’s healthy, Heck will be the swing tackle. Michael Deiter, signed as a free agent after playing four years for Miami, can play center or guard. He was running first team in Green’s place. Scott Quessenberry, the starting center for 16 games last season, may have trouble finding a spot on the roster, but there’s a lot of time to impress the coaching staff before the 53-man roster and practice squad are established.
“Those guys (linemen) have done a great job,” Ryans said about the line’s overall performance in the offseason program. “I think coach Strausser and coach Popovich have done a good job of honing in on the small details and techniques. Our linemen have done a great job of perfecting their craft. It’s a credit those guys and our coaches for the great job they’ve done.”
The Texans desperately need the offensive line to play like 2019 when they acquired Tunsil from Miami, and he played a significant role in helping them win the AFC South for the last time under Bill O’Brien and defeat Buffalo in a wild-card playoff game.
Led by the linemen, a consistently productive running game is a quarterback’s best friend. Stroud won’t need to face too many second-and-long and third-and-long situations. The running game, featuring Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary, has to produce, and their performance starts up front.
Bobby Slowik, the new offensive coordinator and play-caller, knows it’s paramount for the line to set the tone for the running game and provide pass protection for Stroud.
“Every offense wants to be solid up front, and, thankfully, we have a group that's talented,” Slowik said. “They have the skillset (and) mindset. They work hard. They’re invested in what they’re doing.”
Slowik followed Ryans from San Francisco. The 49ers had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL under coach Kyle Shanahan. Not surprisingly, they also had one of the best running games. Improvement doesn’t happen overnight, but the Texans have invested heavily in the line and the coaches to a point where they believe they can perform a lot better than last season when they struggled to run the ball when Pierce was injured.
“They (linemen) have everything that's needed to be able to perform at a level that we want them to so everyone can work as a unit,” Slowik said. “The run game is a huge part of this system and how everything ties together. It’s a little different from what they've done in the past. They’re all in on learning the fundamentals of how that works, and they're bought in on it.”
No shoulder pads are allowed in the offseason program. When they put on pads early in camp, have joint practices with the Dolphins and Saints and play three preseason games, fans will have a better idea of what kind of offensive line the Texans can have and how much it’ll contribute to what the coaches expect to be substantial improvement on offense.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Thursday on Texans Radio. He writes three columns a week and does two Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.