The Houston Texans offensive line has been as much of a punching bag the past three seasons as the quarterbacks who have played behind it. With Deshaun Watson sustaining 10 sacks through the first two games of the season, the offensive line appears to be headed down another ignominious path.
However, coach Bill O’Brien believes the five-man unit has shown improvement compared to last season, and even in preseason.
“I think the line has actually played well,” O’Brien told reporters Wednesday. “Now, we could all do better. The line has played well…”
One argument has been that the cause for sacks is not exclusively related to the offensive. Rather, other protection units, such as tight ends and running backs, and even Watson himself, have to do a better job of identifying the pressure and responding accordingly.
“We’re seeing a lot of pressure and we’ve got to do a better job against the pressure,” said O’Brien. “We’ve got to understand that that involves more than the line. Sometimes there’s guys coming that’s not the line’s responsibility. So, a lot goes into that. We have to cut down on it, we know that, we’re working very hard to do that.”
What leads O’Brien to believe the offensive line has played well is how they have responded to the adversity of injuries and challenges of incorporating rookies and newcomers onto the line in such a rapid period of time.
By Week 1, the Texans were starting at left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who didn’t play a single preseason snap with his new team, and Nick Martin at center, who missed much of training camp. By Week 2, rookie Tytus Howard assumed the left guard spot, and swing tackle Roderick Johnson was playing right tackle in place of Seantrel Henderson.
“I think that the line has actually performed well for having some guys up there, rookies or guys that haven’t been in the system for a long time,” O’Brien explained. “They’re getting better and better. They’re a good group of guys and some of the different combinations have been because of injury.”
On the injury front, the Texans are expected to get interior offensive lineman Greg Mancz back, who sustained an ankle injury in the first preseason game. O’Brien anticipates Mancz to return against the Los Angeles Chargers.
