Houston Texans should not start Tytus Howard right away
The Houston Texans could easily be relying on rookie Tytus Howard to start at the left tackle position this season.
We all know that the Houston Texans are talented. They are loaded with impact players on both sides of the ball who can lead them to another AFC South title in 2019. However, if they cannot figure out their offensive line mess, the Texans are not going to be serious contenders this season.
The Texans did try to improve their offensive line situation this offseason. First, by signing veteran offensive tackle Matt Kalil. Kalil has a lot of NFL experience, but he is a below-average starting option, at best.
On top of adding Kalil to the mix, the Houston Texans attacked the offensive line in the 2019 NFL Draft. They snagged Alabama State offensive tackle Tytus Howard in the first round and Northern Illinois offensive tackle Max Scharping in the second. Both Howard and Scharping are talented, but they are also extremely raw and would not be forced into action right away in a perfect world.
Unfortunately, the Houston Texans need help up front and both Howard and Scharping are likely to be major contributors right away. Today, we are going to focus on the Texans’ left tackle situation, where Howard could quickly become a major contributor.
As the Texans enter camp, their left tackle battle appears to be between Kalil, Howard and the incumbent starter, Julie’n Davenport. Aaron Reiss of The Athletic recently predicted the winners of various training camp position battles for the Houston Texans, and he predicted Howard to win the left tackle job.
"“Davenport winning this competition wouldn’t be a complete surprise, given how frequently Texans coaches had Howard, the team’s first-round pick, practice at guard during the offseason,” Reiss wrote. “But for now, it’s hard to bet on Houston running it back with the same left tackle who led the team in penalties last season and often looked overwhelmed even when he didn’t draw a flag.”“Davenport is a former fourth-round pick. Howard is the highest-drafted offensive lineman in team history, the unquestioned face of an overhaul. If nothing else, optics suggest giving Howard the nod here. And besides, Houston has another young player it hopes to see succeed at left guard in Martinas Rankin.”"
The Texans kicking Howard inside is foolish. He is built like an offensive tackle and they drafted him in the first round because they think he can be their left tackle of the future. Whether he starts or not in 2019, the Texans need to be grooming Howard at the left tackle position.
That being said, his college tape shows an extremely raw player who is probably not ready for the NFL game. The Texans would obviously love to see Howard come into training camp, dominate, and make the left tackle job his. However, based on what we know about him as a prospect, that is unlikely to happen.
It is far more likely that Howard comes in and struggles a bit from the start. The Texans need Howard now, but I simply do not see him being ready.
With this in mind, if I were making the call, I would currently be leaning towards going back to Davenport as the starting left tackle to start the season. Davenport was not great last year, but he is entering his third NFL season. It is certainly possible that it all clicks for him this year and he turns it around. If not, then you give Howard the chance to prove himself.
Tytus Howard is a talented player and I would not be surprised to see the Houston Texans give him an immediate opportunity to start at left tackle. That being said, they would be making a mistake. The other options at left tackle are not great, but Howard simply is not ready.