(SportsRadio 610) -- As a rookie, Texans offensive tackle Charlie Heck did not get much of an offseason.
Everything was virtual in the spring of 2020, at the height of a world health crisis.
The Texans' fourth-round draft pick entered the NFL with a working understanding of it. His father, Andy Heck, played 12 seasons in the league and has been the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line coach since 2013.
Yet the younger Heck was not able to live in the weight room, meet all of his new teammates and really dive into the offense early.
Eventually, attrition forced the Texans to play him toward the end of last season. Heck appeared in three games and started one.
"I think a big thing is confidence," Heck said after Thursday when asked what's different about him now from his rookie season. "I was able to get in at the end of the year in some of the games and I definitely had my struggles but I kind of proved to myself that I can play in this league and I carried that on going into the offseason."
In somewhat of a surprise development, Heck now projects to be the Texans' starting right tackle with Tytus Howard moving to left guard next to left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Max Scharping is moving to right guard, so the shuffling means this line will look entirely different, with only Tunsil returning from his position last season.
Tunsil, Howard and Scharping have all been full-time starters. Veteran Justin Britt replaces Nick Martin at center.
If Heck (6'8", 308 pounds) wins the job at right tackle, he'll be the least experienced on the line.
It is part of what makes these preseason opportunities so valuable for Heck.
“It’s huge, I mean that’s everything really," Heck said of the need to build chemistry on the offensive line. "It’s about bumping off games, kind of knowing and getting a feel for where your mans going to be, where those aiming points are and you can only really get that in games."
Last season, offensive coordinator Tim Kelly was complimentary of the strides Heck made as a rookie. Kelly said Heck put in the work for his opportunity.
Martin told a story after the season ended about Heck showing incredible toughness in the finale against Tennessee.
Heck's finger popped out of place mid-game, and the team's medical staff could not get it to pop back in.
Trainers wanted to take Heck back to the locker room to take a look, but Heck refused.
"He goes, ‘no, tape it up. I’m going to fight through it,’ with his finger turned sideways," Martin said. "Stuff like that you’re so proud of. But we do, we have to fight more."
Heck said this offensive line group has taken on a mentality of being tougher in the run game, after having one of the league's worst last season.
It is still not clear if the starting right tackle will be Heck, or veteran Marcus Cannon, a 33-year-old who won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
Cannon has been injured throughout camp and it's possible he won't be ready to go for the start of the season.
If that's the case, expect to see Heck in that spot, even more so after the Texans cut veteran Roderick Johnson.
Head coach David Culley said Heck may have improved more than any player on the team since the start of offseason training.
"And that’s not surprising because he has a great work ethic," said Culley, who worked four seasons with Heck's father on Kansas City's coaching staff.
"He’s going into that year now where you want to see that progress made, and we’re starting to see that. And that’s what happens when you do what he did to be in the position that he’s in right now."
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