The past two seasons for the Houston Texans weren’t just brutal in the standings, but also across their roster.
Houston truly didn’t have any answers at some positions and sought a platoon of veterans as a stopgap, as was the case in 2021 at running back. The Texans also were unable to help younger talent meet their potential, as was the case with former 2019 second-round defensive back Lonnie Johnson and 2019 fifth-round defensive end Charles Omenihu.
While Omenihu exists as an example of how the Texans squandered talent, he also represents what new coach DeMeco Ryans may be able to do with untapped pieces. Consider Omenihu spent the past 32 games, including six playoff games, with the San Francisco 49ers since 2021, all of which time Ryans was the defensive coordinator.
According to Braxton Howard from Pro Football Focus, Omenihu finished as their No. 8 on their list of edge defenders in pressures on true pass sets. This is a list wherein Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa were at the top, and Omenihu finished ahead of Maxx Crosby and Matthew Judon.
Omenihu had a strong year in San Francisco, which led him to sign with the reigning Super Bowl champs this offseason. On true pass sets, Omenihu totaled 35 quarterback hurries — tied for third with Haason Reddick and Josh Allen. He posted a career-high 62 total pressures in 2022, including seven sacks.
After being traded mid-season in 2021 from Houston to San Francisco, Omenihu continued to have a solid impact. He displayed an 82.3 pass-rush grade in 2021 and put up a 75.6 pass-rush grade last season. To this point, Omenihu has been more of a rotational pass rusher. In Kansas City, he will have a relatively clear path to start on the edge.
While the Texans undoubtedly have a premier edge rusher for the future in Will Anderson, defensive end Jonathan Greenard has yet to turn in a good season. Jerry Hughes is also optimistic about the attacking scheme Ryans is deploying as it favors the defensive line.
The Texans may have had the right pieces all along; it just took the right coach to cultivate the production.
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