Big Men Up Front: Texans Offensive Line
The Houston Texans have sort of a mixed bag of the quality of offensive lineman. They are ranked 18th in run blocking and 12th in pass blocking according to Football Outsiders. Their projected starting offensive lineman for this season are: Duane Brown, Xavier Su’a-Filo, Nick Martin, Jeff Allen and Derek Newton. That is from left tackle to right tackle in that order.
The key to their success in the running game last season was running behind Brown. Running plays behind the left tackle were ranked fifth in the NFL. However, plays ran around the left end were ranked 14th which suggests running behind Brown is more advantageous than around him. This also suggests that pulling guards/centers were not blocking adequately. Further proof is that run plays between the guards were ranked 17th, which is very telling. The guards and center were not able to drive the defenders away and clear running lanes for the running backs. Running behind the right tackle was not any better, ranked 24th overall, but running around right end was 16th.
The strength of the Texans is the running game. This is due to the revolving door at quarterback and strong running back play last season. Hopefully the coaching staff will be able to select and quarterback and stick with him to provide some consistency in the passing game.
With success the Texans have running behind Brown you have to wonder why they only run it behind 11 percent of the time. Runs around left end make up for seven percent of attempts. Run plays behind the right tackle account for nine percent as well as around right end. A whopping 64 percent of run plays went between the guards, surprising considering they are average in that department.
The most surprising statistic regarding the Texans offensive line is their pass protection rank, 12th. With only 32 sacks allowed on the season and an adjusted sack rate of 5.5 percent. Some of these impressive numbers can be attributed to the focus of the running game over the passing game for the Texans. Houston is a run first team, there is no doubting that. With Lamar Miller, D’Onta Foreman and Alfred Blue, they will continue to run the ball early and often.
The Texans coaching staff and front office looked to address the offensive line in the draft and they did. Selecting two players who are more projects than day one starters. Julien Davenport, a fourth round pick, is 6’7″ and 300 lbs. Davenport has great size but needs to work his way up to being a starter. Kyle Fuller, a seventh round pick, is athletic but raw. Fuller needs to work on his mechanics and not commit penalties, leading all centers in 2016 with 17 penalties. Davenport and Fuller have the potential to eventually be starters for Houston, but it is more likely farther down the line.
For now, Houston will stick with the starting lineman of Brown, Su’a-Filo, Martin, Allen and Newton. They are more than capable of blocking for their stable of running backs. The pass blocking will continue to be effective due to the focus on the running game. Limited drop backs will limit the opportunities to create pressure and sack the quarterback.
The play calling by the coaching staff will dictate the success of the Texans this season. Utilizing the run game and limited the pass attempts will allow the offensive line to play to their strengths and achieve the highest level of success in the 2017 NFL season.
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