Tag: Right Tackle

Texans RT Tytus Howard says he is ‘still in the rehab process’

Houston Texans right tackle Tytus Howard gave an update on his offseason and says that he is still rehabbing from his partially torn MCL.

Houston Texans right tackle Tytus Howard is still recovering from a knee injury that limited his rookie season to eight games.

In Week 6, Howard partially tore his MCL in his right knee. While he made it back for Weeks 9-12, which had a bye week sandwiched in between, Howard was placed on injured reserve shortly before the club’s Week 13 Sunday night showdown with the New England Patriots.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Howard told Drew Dougherty of Texans TV. “I’m still in the rehab process. I’m excited to be ready for this season. I’m just I’m just ready to get back on the field, and do what I can do to help my team win football games.”

Howard will be a part of a five-man offensive line that returns the same set of starters for the first time in the Deshaun Watson era. Even though Howard can’t be on the practice field with his other offensive linemen, he watches how their games are played to still be in touch with their style.

“I’ve just been tuning into how they see football so I can see it through their view and also play the way I play,” said Howard.

Howard was a bookend to a pair of tackles that featured Laremy Tunsil on the left side. The former Miami Dolphins 2016 first-round pick earned his first career Pro Bowl with the Texans. Second-round rookie Max Scharping manned left guard, and veteran Zach Fulton played right guard. Nick Martin, who plays center, has endeavored throughout his time in Houston to form unit cohesion since 2016.

The former 2019 first-round pick from Alabama State was nonetheless impactful in his limited games. Howard earned a place on the Pro Football Writers of America’s all-rookie team. If Howard can recover from his knee injury and be in full form in 2020, the Texans will have one of the fundamental aspects to winning football games in a solid offensive line.

Denver Broncos depth chart prediction: Offensive line

Which offensive linemen will start for the Broncos this season?

As we continue our 2020 depth chart prediction series for the Denver Broncos, today we’re going to be looking at the offensive line.

Previously, we predicted the QB, RB, TE and WR depth charts.

Here’s our way-too-early prediction for the Broncos’ offensive line:

LT LG C RG RT
Garett Bolles Dalton Risner Lloyd Cushenberry III Graham Glasgow Ja’Wuan James
Elijah Wilkinson Austin Schlottmann Patrick Morris Netane Muti Calvin Anderson
Tyler Jones Nico Falah Quinn Bailey Jake Rodgers

For the sake of simplicity, each player is only listed once but there could be a single player who ends up serving as a backup for multiple positions (for example, Wilkinson could be the top backup guard and top backup tackle).

Unless Wilkinson has an amazing summer and upsets Bolles for a starting job, the starting five seems pretty easy to predict. The backup spots are where things get interesting.

Wilkinson seems to be a lock and Muti will undoubtedly make the 53-man roster. Depending on how many offensive linemen Denver carries, there might be just one opening after Wilkinson and Muti.

Some of the offensive linemen that don’t make the active roster will end up on the Broncos’ practice squad. Anderson could be a dark horse to watch for this summer but Schlottmann provides depth at two positions, which might make him more likely to make the team.

The backup (and perhaps left tackle) jobs will be sorted out this summer, assuming Denver will be able to hold a training camp this summer.

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Broncos have high expectations for Ja’Wuan James in 2020

The Broncos expect Ja’Wuan James to step up in 2020.

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When the Denver Broncos signed Ja’Wuan James to a four-year, $51 million contract last March, they expected him to shore up the right tackle position.

Unfortunately, James battled knee injuries throughout the 2019 season and ended up playing in three games (Elijah Wilkinson served as a fill-in starter).

Going into the 2020 season, Broncos general manager John Elway hopes to see James live up to his big contract.

“[We had] great expectations of him last year,” Elway said during a post-draft Zoom conference call with reporters on April 25. “He was hurt so he couldn’t play very much last year. We have great expectations with him coming back and being the right tackle for us and playing like he’s capable of playing.”

James played in all 16 games with the Miami Dolphins in 2014, missed nine games in 2015, played all 16 games in 2016, missed eight games in 2017 and then played in 15 games in 2018. He seemingly goes injury-free every other season. If that trend continues, he should be healthy in 2020.

Beyond this season, James might not be a reliable option at right tackle. James hasn’t proven that he can stay healthy for more than one year so Denver should consider drafting a potential replacement in 2021.

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Vikings select OT Ezra Cleveland in 2nd round of NFL Draft

Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL Draft.

The Minnesota Vikings selected Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland with the 58th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Friday evening.

Cleveland (6-6, 311 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 4.93 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 30 times at the combine earlier this offseason. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has described Cleveland as a prospect who “has the athleticism to play swing tackle for a zone-based offense but needs to get much stronger to hold up as a starter.”

Cleveland earned first-team All-Mountain West honors in 2019 after starting 13 games at left tackle for college football’s Broncos. He was a two-time all-conference selection at Boise State and was an honorable mention All-MWC pick as a freshman in 2017.

Cleveland was the 10th-best offensive tackle in this year’s class, according to Luke Easterling’s rankings for Draft Wire. The top three tackles this year were Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Alabama’s Jedrick Wills and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs.

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Brandon Shell could be starting right tackle for Seahawks in 2020

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Brock Huard joined 710 ESPN Seattle to say that Brandon Shell could be the team’s starting right tackle.

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Brock Huard recently joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny and Gallant and stated his belief new team acquisition Brandon Shell will have the biggest impact of all new additions to the team’s offensive line.

“I think Shell is going to get first crack at that right tackle spot,” Huard said. “I think he’s a guy who likes to be physical and get his hands on people and drive people and he fits and they paid him accordingly. They paid him the most of any of those guys.”

Huard said the other offensive line signings in Chance Warmack, B.J. Finney, and Cedric Obghuehi will have less defined roles, while Shell could already be viewed at the starting right tackle slot because of his experience there.

“I would think he’s the first one to really project as your right tackle who’s started as a right tackle in this league and I think you’re really hoping he ascends into that role,” Huard said. “I think the rest, you’re trying to find a role.”

The Seahawks will need someone to step up at right tackle following the departure of Germain Ifedi in free agency. That player could very well be Shell, who is 28 years old and signed a two-year, $11 million contract with Seattle this offseason.

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Texans to move on from OT Roderick Johnson, but at what cost?

The Houston Texans did not tender offensive tackle Roderick Johnson, who was the club’s swing tackle in 2019.

The Houston Texans elected to not tender offensive tackle Roderick Johns on Wednesday. As a result, they are in the market for a new swing tackle.

Currently, the club has Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil and former 2019 first-round pick Tytus Howard under contract as the starting left tackle and right tackle. However, in pro football, where injuries play a part in a team’s “luck,” having a reliable fill-in is almost as necessary as finding starting quality at the first two bookends.

The Cleveland Browns drafted Johnson in Round 5 of the 2017 NFL Draft from Florida State. The Browns cut the 6-7, 311-pound tackle in June of 2018 with the Texans scooping him up that same month.

Brown bounced up and down between the Texans’ 90-man roster, 53-man roster, and practice squad throughout the 2018 season with just one game day activation under his belt. In 2019, Brown was active for all 16 games and started in three of them with a start at left tackle in Week 17 to rest Tunsil.

When Howard’s rookie season was shelved after his first eight games due to an MCL injury, Brown was part of a rotation at right tackle alongside veteran Chris Clark. The rotation was a key part of the Texans’ offense, which took care of the New England Patriots 28-22 on Sunday Night Football in Week 13 at NRG Stadium.

“I think that was just something we felt, again, was in the best interest of the team,” coach Bill O’Brien said of the rotation on Dec. 2, 2019. “We felt like both of those guys had earned the right to play and we felt that that was a good way to do it.”

Now, the Texans will have to find another tackle as good as Johnson to help be a part of another rotation, if injury hits the Texans’ bookends, or perhaps a swing tackle who can fill both positions.

Report: the Lions have agreed to terms with RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Multiple sources are reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai.

Multiple sources are reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai.

The deal cannot become official until the NFL 2020 new year begins on Wednesday at 4:00 PM, EST, but NFL Insider Adam Caplan was first to report the deal and included the basic terms of the deal — five years, $50 million.

Vaitai has a lot of positional versatility. He has experience playing both tackle spots, can also play guard, but is expected to be the Lions starting right tackle in 2020 and beyond — replacing the recently cut Rick Wagner, who reportedly signed on with the Green Bay Packers this afternoon.

To get an idea of how Vaitai compares to the Lions right tackles from last season here is his Pro Football Focus numbers compared to Wagner and Tyrell Crosby (who is still under contract with the Lions).

Overall Run Block Pass Block
Vaitai 74.4 76.2 64.4
Wagner 59.0 53.9 60.2
Crosby 62.4 64.7 62.5

Vaitai has only started 20 of his 64 career NFL games but as a former 5th round pick out of TCU, that’s not unexpected. He is only 26 years old and had found success on both the right and left sides in Philadelphia — but he has been more successful filling in for an injured Lane Johnson on the right side.

Broncos met with OT Ezra Cleveland at NFL combine

The Broncos interviewed Boise State offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland at the NFL combine last month.

The Denver Broncos interviewed Boise State offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland at the NFL combine last month, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Cleveland (6-6, 311 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 4.93 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 30 times at the combine. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein believes Cleveland could play either left or right tackle as a pro.

“Cleveland has the athleticism to play swing tackle for a zone-based offense but needs to get much stronger to hold up as a starter,” Zierlein wrote.

Cleveland earned first-team All-Mountain West honors in 2018 and 2019. He started in 13 games for college football’s Broncos last season.

Cleveland is the 12th-best offensive tackle in this year’s class, according to Luke Easterling’s post-combine NFL draft rankings for Draft Wire.

Denver appears content to start Garett Bolles and Ja’Wuan James at the two tackles spots in 2020 but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos draft and develop a tackle prospect. Cleveland is a player to be aware of as the draft draws closer.

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Broncos OT Ja’Wuan James should be healthy for OTAs

Broncos right tackle Ja’Wuan James (knee) should be healthy for OTAs.

During his media availability at the NFL combine last week, Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio provided a positive update on right tackle Ja’Wuan James.

“He won’t need surgery,” Fangio said of James on Feb. 25. “He should be fine.”

Fangio also said that James should be healthy for organized team activities (OTAs), which will likely begin in mid-May.

James (6-6, 312 pounds) had a disappointing first season in Denver after signing a four-year, $51 million contract during free agency. James battled a knee injury all season and was healthy for just three games.

It’s good to hear that James should be healthy for OTAs but the Broncos might not want to count on him in 2020. Since entering the NFL in 2014, James has missed 31 of a possible 96 games — he’s been injured for nearly a third of his career.

With James not providing a reliable option, Denver would be wise to add an offensive tackle this offseason, through free agency or the draft.

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Seattle Seahawks 2020 free agent profile: Right tackle Germain Ifedi

Will the Seattle Seahawks finally move on from Germain Ifedi at right tackle during free agency or will he be back in 2020?

The Seattle Seahawks are heading into the 2020 offseason with 19 players set to become unrestricted free agents, which should make for another busy spring and summer for Pete Carroll and John Schneider as they look to shore up the roster and contend for the number one seed in the NFC next year.

Prior to last season, the Seahawks declined to pick up the fifth-year option on right tackle Germain Ifedi, allowing him to test free agency this year instead of re-signing him for roughly $10 million in 2020.

That lays out a rough framework of where the Seahawks value Ifedi, one of the most polarizing players on the team the past few years.

However, there is a league-wide dearth of talent at offensive tackle, and it doesn’t seem outrageous to expect another team to offer Ifedi a contract in the $10 million range annually, especially after he showed improvement across the board in 2019.

Seattle could still look to bring him back as well, with limited options to replace him now that Jamarco Jones has transitioned to guard and George Fant is set to hit free agency.

Ifedi isn’t very many fans’ favorite player, but there’s a decent chance he’s back in the blue and green in 2020.

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