The Houston Texans are revamping the interior of their offensive line.
The club released starting center Nick Martin and reserve center-guard Senio Kelemete. Houston also lost Greg Mancz to the Baltimore Ravens after the season was over.
If the Texans are looking for a veteran to man their center position as they groom a younger guy to take over, then Atlanta Falcons center Alex Mack would be a good candidate.
According to Mark Schofield of the Touchdown Wire, the 6-4, 311-pound center is one of the underrated free agents.
For virtually his entire NFL career Alex Mack has been listed among the game’s top centers, and it is likely that the final stop of his NFL journey is in Canton. After starting his career with the Cleveland Browns Mack has spent each of the past five season with the Atlanta Falcons, and was a critical component of their offense when the Falcons made the run to Super Bowl LI.
One area of his play that slipped a bit last year was his pass blocking. Pro Football Focus charted him with allowing just one sack and seven quarterback hits, but he did give up 25 pressures and on film he seemed to struggle a bit with quicker defensive tackles who could penetrate off the snap with an explosive first step. Whether that’s a cause for concern, or just the fact that the guys on the other side of the ball are good too, will be the deciding factor in the kind of deal he commands this offseason.
Mack would instantly bring leadership to the interior of the offensive line upon his signing. The Texans would have to structure his contract to ensure they get most out of the 35-year-old, and also cultivate a younger interior offensive lineman to take over when Mack finally decides to retire.
