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2010 Offensive Line Analysis - Houston Texans

2010 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Duane Brown
Left Guard: Kasey Studdard
Center: Chris Myers
Right Guard: Antoine Caldwell
Right Tackle: Eric Winston

2009 Injuries:
G Mike Brisiel: Weeks 6-17
G Chester Pitts: Weeks 3-17

2009 Statistics:

Overview:
The Houston Texans had their best season in franchise history with nine wins but it still wasn’t enough to qualify for the postseason. The Texans have had an above average offense ever since Schaub took over as starting quarterback but they just can’t seem to get it all together. Their running game which had been very dangerous in 2008 took a big step back last year and was amongst the worst in the NFL.

Duane Brown, a first round pick in 2008, will return as the starting left tackle for a third consecutive season. Brown showed a lot of improvement in 2009, starting all 16 games once again, but he still struggled in pass protection. Brown was responsible for 7 of the team’s 25 sacks allowed and he was one of the worst left tackles in the NFL in quarterback pressure. He has good size at 6’4” and 315 lbs and is quite athletic with quick feet. However, just like most young linemen, he still has a lot of work to do on his technique. Nonetheless, he has excellent work ethic and should continue to improve in 2010. Starting at right tackle is the 2006 third round pick Eric Winston who started all 16 games in the past three seasons. Winston showed great improvement in 2009 after ranking 29th amongst right tackles for sacks allowed in 2008. Winston was recruited as a tight end in college and moved to offensive tackle in his sophomore season but suffered a torn ACL as a junior and was not the same player when he came back the following year. Winston had the potential to be a top ten prospect before his injury but dropped to the third round and has now regained the strength he had before the injury. He is a very physical and smart blocker who will occasionally get beat to the outside because of his slower feet. He is very intense and a perfect fit for the right tackle position in the NFL because of his good run blocking abilities. Last season was the best of his NFL career so far and he should remain an above average right tackle this season. Rashad Butler, a fifth-year veteran who has not started any games in the NFL, provides depth at tackle.

There will be interesting battles at the guard positions in training camp but for now, Kasey Studdard and Antoine Caldwell seem to be the favorites. Studdard started 14 games last season after Chester Pitts went down in week two. The former sixth round pick struggled in his first season as a starter. He did show some nice improvement throughout but he remained slightly below average in both pass protection and run blocking. 2009 third round pick Antoine Caldwell split time at right guard with Chris White after Mike Brisiel went down with an injury in week five. Brisiel, White and Caldwell all took over 300 snaps last year and there wasn’t much difference between the three. We have to figure that Kubiak will give the edge to the 24-year old Caldwell who should improve this year in his second season. He is a natural leader and a hard worker who also has the ability to play center. For the moment he remains slightly below average in run blocking and pass protection but we’ll have to see how he develops in 2010. Mike Brisiel and free agent acquisition Wade Smith provide some good depth at guard. Smith who started 16 games with the Chiefs in the past two years also has the ability to play tackle.

Starting at center for the third consecutive season should be the 28-year old Chris Myers who was acquired from the Denver Broncos for a sixth round pick a few summers ago. Myers seemed to be the weak link on the line in 2008 but he improved last season despite playing injured for most of the season. Myers will continue to get pushed back into Schaub but it’s something the Texans will have to live with in order to benefit from his ability to pull out and run block.

2010 Outlook:
The Texans line took a big step back last season in run blocking and probably would have been much worse in pass protection if it weren’t for Schaub’s ability to get rid of the ball quickly. The running game did improve from 3.0 yards per carry in the first six games to 3.8 in the final ten but it still wasn’t good enough. Things should be better this year with Studdard and Caldwell having more experience and if they don’t improve, there are two good backups in Brisiel and Smith. It’s hard to get too excited about this line because the five starters from the second half of the season will be back but with an average age of 25.8, all five starters should improve in 2010. It will be hard to decrease the sack total below 25 but the run blocking will be better and we’ll be surprised if they’re not around 4.0 yards per carry in 2010.

See all of our 2010 Offensive Line Analysis Articles