Tag: Texans guard

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans ‘happy’ with Josh Jones’ guard performance

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was pleased with what Josh Jones showed at left guard against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1.

The Houston Texans aren’t where they would like to be with the offensive line.

Houston has lost three starters at left guard, center, and right tackle throughout the course of training camp and preseason. Instead of Kenyon Green at left guard, the Texans went with former Arizona Cardinals guard-tackle Josh Jones to take the former 2022 first-rounder’s place.

“With our offensive line, we’ve been shuffling guys a lot,” coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters Monday. “As you guys know, we’ve had multiple injuries on the line, and we’ve had to shuffle guys.”

Jones’ flexibility between guard and tackle gave him the advantage to plug at left guard, even though the Texans have been evaluating their line for position flex.

The former Houston Cougar saw his first action with the Texans amid the 25-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday in Week 1 at M&T Bank Stadium.

“I thought Josh did a good job in his first time at guard,” said Ryans. “He hasn’t been with us long, so being in a tough spot for him, I thought he accepted the challenge, and he went out and he played good ball for us. So, I’m happy with what Josh was able to do for us on Sunday.”

As the Texans continue to cobble together solutions at guard — at least until Tytus Howard and Juice Scruggs return from injured reserve — Jones will have to do.

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Texans OC Bobby Slowik feels ‘really good’ about offensive line

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has confidence in the offensive line ahead of NFL Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Houston Texans have three question marks across the offensive line, but offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik rests assured as to the answers.

Slowik met with reporters Sept. 7 and felt “really good” when asked about his confidence level with the five-man unit that has sustained injuries throughout the preseason.

“I mean, based on practice, which is all I can go off of right now, they’ve been locked in, they’ve been on it,” Slowik said. “They’ve handled everything we have given to them.”

The definitive vision for the Texans’ offensive line included second-year Kenyon Green starting at left guard, second-rounder Juice Scruggs at center, and fifth-year Tytus Howard at right tackle. Instead Houston will plug sixth-rounder Jarrett Patterson at center and go with new acquisitions Kendrick Green and Josh Jones to address their guard and tackle problems.

“They’ve taken advantage of looks we need to take advantage of,” said Slowik. “They’ve handled issues where there’s issues to be handled. They’ve done a really good job in practice.”

The Texans have key veterans at left tackle in three-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil and right guard Shaq Mason, who has logged 115 starts over 120 activations with the New England Patriots (2015-21) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2022).

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Texans willing to allow OL solutions to develop from within

The Houston Texans are betting on the in-house resources to fix their problems with the offensive line.

The Houston Texans’ offensive line was a position of strength, but a rash of training camp injuries relegated the unit to black hole that has sapped resources.

The Texans will have question marks at left guard, center, and right tackle when they take the field against the Baltimore Ravens Sept. 10 at M&T Bank Stadium.

General manager Nick Caserio told reporters Aug. 30 the club believes they have the solutions within the organization to address the offensive line.

“We still have more than capable players that, if the player is in the building, we feel good about them,” Caserio said.

The Texans traded for guard Kendrick Green, tackle Josh Jones, and signed tackle George Fant. Houston also claimed guard Nick Broeker off waivers from the Buffalo Bills after final cuts.

Continuing to go outside the organization, particularly at this juncture, could be costly for the Texans.

“There’s a cost of everything that you do, so there’s a financial cost, there’s a draft capital cost if you want to go down that road, so it is what it is,” said Caserio. “There’s nothing we can do about it. We can make some modifications and changes on the fringes, see if we can upgrade the depth, and I’d say there’s a lot of teams that are dealing with the same problem or situation, so we feel confident with the players that are in the building.”

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans ‘really proud’ of G Kenyon Green

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans says he is proud of the way Kenyon Green battled throughout the offseason with injuries and rehab.

Kenyon Green won’t suit up for the Houston Texans in 2023, but he nevertheless earned the respect of his new coach.

DeMeco Ryans met with reporters Aug. 30 and shared his remarks about Green’s offseason fraught with injury and rehabilitation that ended just before the cut down to a 53-man roster.

“Kenyon did a really great job of just rehabbing his knee, trying to work it back, his shoulder,” Ryans said. “He had things going on and I think the credit goes to Kenyon because he put the work in this offseason to be available for training camp. He went out everyday and gave it his all, everyday at training camp and pushed through a lot of things.”

Ryans stated he was “really proud of Kenyon” and the way he “fought through and did through a difficult training camp for him.”

Said Ryans: “Physically having a lot going on and to go through a hard training camp, credit to him. He’s a young player, he’ll bounce back. I’m just hoping for Kenyon to take care of himself, get himself ready to go for next year.”

General manager Nick Caserio said the message for the former 2022 first-round pick is to get ready for next year.

Green started 14 games for Houston last season among his 15 activations.

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Texans trade with Steelers for OL Kendrick Green

The Houston Texans traded with the Pittsburgh Steelers for offensive lineman Kendrick Green.

The Houston Texans are looking to outside talent to help with the attrition along the offensive line.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans are trading with the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire former 2021 third-round pick Kendrick Green. The Texans are giving up a 2025 sixth-round pick.

While the injuries affecting left guard Kenyon Green and center Juice Scruggs are considered short-term injuries, and right tackle Tytus Howard is nearing a photo-finish return for Opening Day as he recovers from a broken hand, the Texans still need to solidify their offensive line reserves as they construct a 53-man roster.

Green, 24, started 15 games at center for the Steelers in 2021. Green moved to guard in 2022, but never saw any game day activations throughout the year.

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Texans G Kenyon Green wants to improve technique in second season

Houston Texans guard Kenyon Green is looking to improve upon his technique as he enters his second NFL season.

HOUSTON — With only one preseason game left before the start of the NFL regular season, many players from the Houston Texans will try to make a strong impression on head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio against the New Orleans Saints before Tuesday’s deadline to cut the roster from 90 to 53 players.

Those players on the borderline of making the Texans roster won’t be the only ones with something to prove inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Second-year offensive guard Kenyon Green will make the most of the limited snaps the starters will receive.

Green, whom the Texans took in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, is looking to rebound from his rough rookie season, where he was matched up against some of the best defensive tackles in the league. In his 15 games played, he allowed four sacks, which is very rare for the former two-time Consensus All-American, but what was unacceptable by Green’s standards were the 12 penalties he committed.

He missed OTAs due to a minor arthroscopic knee surgery and was limited to begin training camp. Yet, when he finally began to play, you could see the work he had put into the offseason to get better and help his team heading into the regular season.

“Just technique,” Green said about what he wants to improve this season. “Technique and just finishing plays. That’s what I’m focused on right now. Technique and finishing plays, hands inside, just trying to be the best player I can be.”

He only played 12 snaps against the New England Patriots in the first preseason game. He was part of the group that allowed a lot of pressure on rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, giving him a limited amount of time to make decisions. It was the first game he played with rookie center Juice Scruggs, who was inserted into the starting lineup after Scott Quessenberry went down in training camp with a season-ending injury.

Green and Scruggs finally got on the same page in game two against the Miami Dolphins, where they allowed Stroud to operate in a clean pocket as he completed 66.7% inside the tackle box as no Dolphins defensive player took Stroud down for a sack.

“We came out with the mindset that we were going to dominate on the offensive line,” Green said after practice on Friday. “The main thing was we don’t want to give up any sacks. Juice [Scruggs] is advanced. It is really fun playing with him knowing learning, but also knowing what to do. He is getting everything down like he should. He commands the huddle.”

With the starters playing limited snaps in the final preseason game, Green will have an opportunity to get more time with Scruggs and Stroud, which will help the communication grow as they head into the regular season.

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Texans G Kenyon Green says new offense can showcase his athleticism

Houston Texans guard Kenyon Green believes he will be able to showcase his athleticism in OC Bobby Slowik’s offense.

The Houston Texans will be deploying an offensive scheme identical to the San Francisco 49ers’ scheme. New offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is a branch on Kyle Shanahan’s coaching tree, and the West Coast offense will be the Texans’ philosophy starting 2023.

Second-year guard Kenyon Green is looking forward to playing in the Texans’ new offense as he believes it can provide a proper way to feature traits that made him a 2022 first-round pick.

“Show my athleticism — running around, getting on edges and everything,” Green told reporters Aug. 8. “It’s going to be a lot of different things from last year, so, I’m just excited to keep working and get better at those.”

Green started 14 of his 15 games active last year and was part of an offensive line that cleared running lanes for rookie Dameon Pierce, who generated 939 and four touchdowns.

While the energy of the offensive line is a key change for Green, there are other aspects to Chris Strausser’s group that make the dynamic different than last year under George Warhop.

Said Green: “The play calling, taking shots, running the ball — just different ways we can manipulate the defense.”

Houston went 3-13-1 last season, and Green was part of efforts to catch up, which led to drives being predictable. The Texas A&M product looks forward to setting the tempo on drives in Slowik’s offense.

“I can’t wait to just keep pushing and keep opening up new things for our offense so we can put pressure on defenses this year,” said Green.

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Texans sign former Miami OL D.J. Scaife

The Houston Texans have signed former Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman D.J. Scaife.

The Houston Texans have at least compensated for the loss of center Scott Quessenberry on the roster.

Houston announced Friday they have signed undrafted free agent offensive lineman D.J. Scaife.

The former Miami product has versatility as both a guard and a tackle, mostly on the right side. Scaife started 32 games at right tackle and another 20 at right guard during his tenure with the Hurricanes.

The Miami Dolphins signed Scaife after the draft, and released the 6-4, 314-pounder after rookie minicamp. Scaife also spent time with the Green Bay Packers this offseason.

The Texans also announced they have placed Quessenberry on injured reserve.

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Texans taking wait and see approach with G Kenyon Green

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans says the team will take a patient approach with guard Kenyon Green as he gets healthy enough for training camp.

Kenyon Green had a rocky start to his career with the Houston Texans last season, and faces high expectations for a bounce-back campaign in 2023.

Houston picked the Texas A&M product No. 15 overall in the 2022 NFL draft. Injuries along with the usual learning curve a rookie faces tempered the hype on the Humble Atascocita High School alumnus.

The 2023 offseason has been a continuation of the challenge for Green as he recovers from a knee procedure that has kept him out of the Texans’ offseason program.

Coach DeMeco Ryans gave reporters an update on Green’s status after practice June 14, making it clear that the next month of rest will be consequential for the guard’s future.

“We’ll see where Kenyon is come training camp,” Ryans said. “For Kenyon, he has to be ready to go and the work he puts in over the next few weeks will see if he’s ready and ready to go out and compete.”

With a rookie quarterback under center, protection will be key for Houston over the course of their grueling 17-game schedule, and Green figures to be a major part of that equation when he gets healthy.

Green started in 14 of his 15 games active for Houston last season, logging 824 offensive snaps to 46 on special teams.

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Breaking down the Shaq Mason contract extension

Here is a look at the details from the contract extension of Houston Texans guard Shaq Mason.

The Houston Texans plugged a hole along their offensive line with the acquisition of guard Shaq Mason.

The Texans solidified that position for the next three years with an extension.

Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV was able to obtain the contract details of Mason’s three-year, $36 million extension, which had a $10 million signing bonus. The first year’s salary is guaranteed at $1.7 million with year two having a $9.25 million guarantee and year three a $10 million guarantee.

Mason is also able to earn a $29,411 roster bonus per game active each season. The cap on that bonus is $500,000.

A workout bonus is also included in Mason’s deal at $50,000 starting in 2024.

If Mason makes the Pro Bowl, which would be the first of his career, he would earn a $250,000 incentive.

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