Seahawks injury updates: No timetable for right tackle Abe Lucas to return

Seattle went 0/3 with their replacements for Lucas last season.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald met with the media this morning in Orlando at the annual league meetings. Macdonald shared some interesting nuggets during that conversation, including an update on right tackle Abe Lucas, who recently underwent knee surgery. Macdonald says that he’s optimistic that Lucas can return in time for Week 1 but there is currently no timetable for his recovery – per Brady Henderson at ESPN.

The chronic knee injury that dates back to Lucas’ time at Washington State kept him on the sidelines for 11 games last season. Seattle went 0/3 with their replacements, watching Jake Curhan, Stone Forsythe and Jason Peters all bomb at right tackle in his place.

The Seahawks added some insurance to their roster recently in case Lucas has to miss significant time again. The team has re-signed former offensive tackle George Fant, who should serve as the No. 1 backup option behind both Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross.

Seahawks players are scheduled to report to the VMAC for the beginning of the offseason program on April 8.

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15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023: No. 12 George Fant

Up next in our “15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023” series is George Fant, who played a key role at right tackle.

The Houston Texans had, by all accounts, an extremely successful 2023 campaign.

They cruised to a 10-7 record under new head coach DeMeco Ryans and captured several accolades along the way. They won the AFC South and won a playoff game for the first time since the 2019 season. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud won PFWA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, rookie edge rusher Will Anderson won PFWA’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, and even Ryans took home hardware with PFWA’s Coach of the Year.

With a revamped team effort that led to dramatic improvements compared to both the 2021 and 2022 Texans, it’s worth examining who created that impact this past season and what their future projects moving forward.

This series has already taken a look at defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and Devin Singletary, and rookie Tank Dell. Today, attention turns towards right tackle George Fant.

AFC Divisional Round picks: Who the experts are taking in Ravens vs. Texans

The NFL experts have made their picks, and the Baltimore Ravens are favored to defeat the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round

We’re a little over 30 hours away from the Ravens (13-4) and Texans (11-7) kicking off the AFC divisional round of the playoffs on ESPN.

Houston advanced to the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history with a 45-14 win over the Browns in Super Wild Card Weekend.

The playoff win earned the Texans a rematch against the Ravens, and they’ll return to M&T Bank Stadium hoping to avenge a 25-9 loss in Week 1.

With kickoff fast approaching, here’s the NFL expert picks.

Ravens divisional round preview: 10 things to know about the Houston Texans

We’re looking at ten things to know about the Houston Texans ahead of their AFC Divisional Round matchup against the Baltimore Ravens

The Texans advanced to the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history with a 45-14 win over the Browns in Super Wild Card Weekend.

The playoff success earned Houston a rematch against the Baltimore Ravens, and they’ll return to M&T Bank Stadium hoping to avenge a 25-9 loss in Week 1.

The Texans are a different team since that humble welcome to the NFL moment for C.J. Stroud, and all the former Ohio State star has done is shatter records and lead his team to the postseason as a rookie.

With final preparations for Saturday’s kickoff underway, we’re looking at ten things about the Houston Texans.

OT George Fant explains confidence Texans have in QB C.J. Stroud late in games

Tackle George Fant detailed how the Houston Texans have confidence in rookie C.J. Stroud in late game situations.

Houston Texans offensive lineman George Fant knew precisely what was about to happen when the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd dropped a touchdown pass on third down from quarterback Joe Burrow, which forced them to have to kick a field goal to tie the game with less than 1:50 left in the fourth quarter.

“Cincinnati went in, and they didn’t get a touchdown for whatever reason, and right away, I knew it was that time again,” said Fant to the Texans Wire.

The Deja’ Vu that Fant speaks of occurred just one week prior when the Texans found themselves in a similar situation against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Trailing 37-33 with 46 seconds on the clock and needing a touchdown to win the game, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud drove his team down the field and hit his fellow rookie wide receiver Tank Dell in the back of the end zone for the eventual game-winning touchdown.

This time, the Texans only needed to get into field goal range to win the game in front of a hostile Bengals fanbase and superstar quarterback Joe Burrow on the sidelines, salivating for one more chance to be the “Hero of Ohio.”

Unfortunately for Burrow, who started his collegiate career at Ohio State before transferring to LSU, he had to watch the former Buckeyes quarterback come back to the state he called home for three years and put his team in position to win the game as Stroud drove the Texans into scoring position. Free agent kicker Matt Ammendola, who was signed to the team after kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn went on injured reserve this week, kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired.

“I was telling the guys, you know what time it is,” Fant told his teammates about Stroud having the ball last. “It felt great having that confidence going on the field knowing you are about to win. There are no ifs, and, or buts about it. It was definitely that type of moment for us.”

After two crushing losses to the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers on time-expiring field goals, the Texans needed these last two weeks to help the team build confidence.
“These are the wins you have to have,” said Fant in the visiting locker room. “If you want to make it to the playoffs, you have to have these wins.”

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Is the Texans offensive line even that bad?

The Houston Texans offensive line has been the most afflicted with injuries. Is the unit even that bad considering the circumstances?

One of the most optimistic units for the Houston Texans in the offseason has become arguably its most compromised throughout the first four weeks of the regular season.

The Texans made capital investments in the offensive line, but only right guard Shaq Mason has been the consistent starter. Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil appeared only in Week 1. Second-year Kenyon Green was placed on injured reserve ahead of the season opener, and right tackle Tytus Howard was place on a shorter term of IR.

Houston’s 2-2 start has been due to the cobbling together of backups and rookies in key spots.

According to Zoltan Buday from Pro Football Focus, the Texans are actually the 19th-best offensive line in the league, even with all of their challenges due to the attrition across the offensive line.

The Texans’ offensive line continues to defy expectations. Despite all the injuries and going up against the Steelers’ defense, the unit did not allow a single sack and ranked 10th in pass-blocking efficiency in Week 4.

Consider the Texans were able to register 10th-best in Week 4 in pass-blocking efficiency while rotating second-year Austin Deculus and sixth-year veteran Geron Christian at left tackle.

As the offensive line settles, whether due to coaching adjusting to the injuries or the intended starters returning, Houston should be a more competitive opponent going forward.

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans credits ‘next man up’ mentality for 37-17 win over Jaguars

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans gave credit to the team’s ability to adhere to the “next man up” philosophy in the 37-17 win in Week 3.

The mantras for the Houston Texans, such as “SWARM” and “Iron Sharpens Iron” have been memorized, put on merchandise, and repeated over and over again by coaches and players during interviews.

It is to the point that even the fans use the phrases when talking about the team, and now they must practice saying a new one over the next few weeks, “Next Man Up!”

That mantra has been used over the last three weeks with the abundant number of injuries the Texans have suffered from training camp until now. On Sunday, the players on Houston’s sideline must have all had t-shirts made with the saying as they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars for their first win of the season.

One position group that deserves the most praise came into the game with many unanswered questions as they have been scrutinized the first two weeks of the season. The Texans’ offensive line kept rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud off the grass against the Jags as they did not allow a sack, which is something they had not done this season coming into the game, having given up a league-high 11. They only allowed Jacksonville’s defense to pressure Stroud 12 times (38.7%) while in the pocket, which led to him completing 12 of his 18 passes with over 2.5 seconds to throw the ball.

Without starting right tackle Tytus Howard, left guard Kenyon Green, and centers Scott Quessenberry and Juice Scruggs, Houston suffered another significant blow as Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil was ruled out on Saturday for the second consecutive week.

“I think our offensive line played really well, keeping the quarterback clean, not giving up any sacks,” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans after the game. “They played well as a unit, and that’s what it takes in protection. It takes all five guys playing together, tight ends, backs helping in protection, and the quarterback getting the ball out on time and where it needs to go. So, it’s all 11 guys playing well, but it’s really credit to [offensive line] coach [Chris] Strausser and the O-line for what they did today.”

It is no secret that there was tremendous skepticism when it came to a group that featured players, many of whom were believed to be cast off of their former teams. Starting left guard Kendric Green was ostracized by the Pittsburgh Steelers during the preseason, and left tackle Josh Jones had found his way into the doghouse with the Arizona Cardinals. Yet, the two gave Stroud all the time he needed against Jacksonville by protecting his blindside.

“George Fant, Shaq Mason, Kendrick Green, Josh Jones. J.P., me and him are rookies, and we’re figuring it out,” Stroud said after the game about the continuity he is building with his offensive line.

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Breaking down the Texans’ contract with OT George Fant

The Houston Texans signed OT George Fant to a one-year contract. Here are some of the details.

Details are emerging about tackle George Fant’s contract with the Houston Texans.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the deal with Fant and the Texans has a maximum value of $4 million. The base salary starts at $2 million with $300,000 guaranteed.

Fant gets a $500,000 signing bonus and up to $500,000 per game active roster bonuses.

The 31-year-old can earn up to $1 million in playtime incentives starting at $250,000 for 50% snaps, another $250,000 for 60%, $250,000 more for 70%, and capping out at $250,000 for 80%.

Fant spent 2016-19 with the Seattle Seahawks, starting in 24 of 46 games active. From 2020-22, the former undrafted free agent from Western Kentucky started 36 of 37 games for the New York Jets.

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Texans sign OT George Fant to 1-year contract

The Houston Texans have signed former New York Jets tackle George Fant.

The Houston Texans are shoring up their tackle depth as fourth-year Charlie Heck works his way off the physically unable to perform list.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans have signed former New York Jets tackle George Fant to a one-year contract worth $4 million.

Fant spent the last three seasons with the Jets, starting in 36 of 37 contests. A knee injury took a chunk out of Fant’s 2022 campaign and relegated it to seven of eight games started.

The former Western Kentucky product began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 2016. Fant had 46 activations for the Seahawks in that span, starting in 24 games.

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