Texans Lose Two Starting Offensive Lineman to Major Injuries

A strong offseason is turning on the Houston Texans

When the Houston Texans signed quarterback Brock Osweiler away from the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, hopes were high among the fans.

Throw in a healthy Jadeveon Clowney, and the drafting of Will Fuller and Braxton Miller and Houston was expected to compete once again.

Thursday’s developments may have brought the hammer down on those changes, as we learned two starting offensive lineman will be out for an extended period of time.

Second round pick Nick Martin will miss the entire season after suffering a high-ankle sprain. He underwent surgery to repair the injury, and will be placed on injured reserve.

Martin was projected by many as the best pure center in last springs NFL Draft.

Greg Mancz is listed as the back-up, despite going undrafted last year and playing just three games. Free agent centers include Ryan Wendell and Will Montgomery.

To make matters worse, starting left tackle Duane Brown was placed on the physically unable to perform list. The 31-year-old tore his quad, and is likely to miss the start of the season.

Houston’s second string left-tackle is former Bronco Chris Clark, who was ranked the 42nd offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus.

Former first overall pick Jake Long is available on the free agent market, as is former Giants veteran Will Beatty.

Osweiler played behind a puzzle-piece offensive line last year with Denver as they were dealing with injuries. Football Outsiders rated Osweiler the 21st best quarterback when under pressure. When there’s no pressure, he’s ranked 18th.

Houston will face the Arizona Cardinals this weekend, and are preparing to take on the Chicago Bears new defense for their first regular season game.