Houston Texans

Houston Texans Offensive Line Woes

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 22, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller (26) tries to push away New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler (21) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Texans rank near the bottom of the league in total offense and scoring offense. They will stay there until the performance of the offensive line improves. Can it improve enough for the Texans to make a deep play-off run this year ? It can, but it won’t be easy.

Obviously Duane Brown’s return is a key issue. Losing a Pro Bowl quality left tackle hurts any offensive line. That is especially true for a thin offensive line such as the Texans’. Chris Clark is an adequate short-term replacement, but he can’t anchor the left side the way Brown can.

However, Brown’s return, probably by the Vikings game, doesn’t solve the whole problem. Nick Martin’s value to the offensive line was greatly underestimated. Since Martin went down Greg Mancz has done as much as can be expected from a second year undrafted free agent. However, at this point he is a marginal starter. Tony Bergstrom, who was expected to compete for the starting center job is a big disappointment…money wasted.

With Martin done for the year Mancz is the best the Texans have at center. For him to be good enough he must be surrounded by talent and coached up. If the guard play is good Mancz is good enough. Unfortunately though, until Brown returns there is not enough line talent to shore-up the guard position.

Nov 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans guard Xavier Su

When Brown returns the weakest link in the offensive line is left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo. Su’a-Filo is not strong enough to give Mancz the support he needs.

To strengthen the left guard position the Texans should slide Jeff Allen from right to left guard. Allen plays reasonably well at right guard, but left guard is his natural position. Returning him to the spot where he made his reputation will upgrade his performance.

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Brown and Allen provide the Texans with a quality left side of the line. What about the right side? Last year, in a fill-in capacity, Derek Newton performed well at right guard. Arguably he played better at guard than at tackle. So, slide him inside. That move flanks Mancz with Allen and Newton, elevating Mancz’s performance and forming a much stronger interior line.

The last move is flipping Chris Clark to right tackle. Clark is adequate at left tackle, but by NFL starter standards he would rank better as a right tackle.

Brown, Allen, Mancz, Newton, Clark with Kendall Lamb as the swing tackle is a significant improvement compared to the current offensive line. Certainly it is the best offensive line that can be assembled from the current Texans roster. Unfortunately, it probably is not good enough to win a championship.

Aug 26, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas (73) blocks against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

So ask yourself, “If the current roster can’t do the job, where can the Texans get an All Pro caliber offensive lineman in the middle of the season?

You can answer that question by asking, “What team going nowhere this year has an All Pro tackle whose contract expires before the team is likely to contend?” Answer – Cleveland Browns/Joe Thomas. Thomas was reportedly on the trading block last year, but the Browns wanted more than just a first round draft choice. Thomas is happy in Cleveland, but he is a professional who wants to win. If I am the Texans I offer the Texans’ 2017 first round draft choice and Tom Savage to the quarterback depleted Browns.

The Texans need to win now, “now” being before the key elements of the current team move on through free agency or retirement. With an offensive line of Joe Thomas, Jeff Allen, Mancz/Martin, Newton and Brown the foundation is set. It will be expensive both in terms of acquisition cost and cap space, but the price is worth paying.

The future is now, and a bold move is required. The Texans can get by with the current offensive line, or they can take the risk necessary to put the Texans over the top. As General Manager, what would you do?

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