Houston Texans defensive end Charles Omenihu made an impression in his rookie year. The fifth-rounder from Texas generated 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles in 14 games.
As nice of a surprise it was to get that production from Omenihu, the former Rowlett High School alumnus wants to contribute more in his second year.
Early indications are Omenihu is on track to be a better defensive end in 2020.
“I really like what he’s doing in the run game, too, especially,” center Nick Martin said. “Obviously, he can pass rush. He’s got that good length. He gets that stab into you and it’s a tough move to go against.”
Omenihu has been working against the interior offensive line due to his versatility as an inside rusher.
“He does a couple of things for us,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “He plays inside. He plays off the edge. He’s a powerful guy. He’s got good reach. He’s an athletic guy.”
The former Texas Longhorn is part of a youth movement on the Texans’ edge with outside linebacker Jacob Martin and rookie outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard seeking to bolster the production from defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus.
“For a lot of guys, the biggest jump in the NFL is from that first to second year, so I’m excited to see what he does this year,” Martin said.
Omenihu won’t have the benefit of preseason games to gauge where he is at in his development from his rookie year to his second season. However, the coaches have enough material from training camp to get a feel for where the 6-5, 280-pound edge rusher is at in his development.
“I think he’s getting better and better,” O’Brien said. “He works very hard. Yeah, he can do a lot of different things for us.”
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