Texans’ Offensive Line Still a Work in Progress

There's little doubt that Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is thanking his lucky stars that rookie running back Woody Marks’ recent emergence has started to get the running game going.

On the flip side, the expectation that the somewhat inevitable rookie ups and downs could combine with ongoing issues along the Texans’ offensive line dictates that Ryans is banking on just about nothing.

Ironically enough, Ryans opted to subtract from his available depth in the blocking department when he recently shipped veteran tackle Cam Robinson off to the Cleveland Browns.

Cleaning out some of the dead wood was obviously deemed necessary, a decision that followed up the rather shocking release of defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson to light a fire within his own locker room.

Both were bold moves that resulted in the desired effect in their 26-0 shutout win over the Tennessee Titans, but analyst Kevin Patra of NFL.com is still floating the idea that fortifying the Texans’ offensive line makes sense.

“I want to see Woody Marks get at least a couple of weeks' worth of work as the lead back in Houston before considering whether the Texans need backfield aid,” Patra wrote. “To me, the offensive line continues to be the biggest concern, even if the front office -- as suggested by Houston's decision to trade Cam Robinson away seems intent on riding things out.”

Sticking to the longer-term vision with rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery has been married with just a touch of streamlining on the offensive side of the ball. That's included making it a real focus for struggling quarterback C.J. Stroud to make quicker decisions and get the football out earlier.

Clearly, that focus helped get things a little more on track, especially heading into the much more stern challenge the Baltimore Ravens will present this weekend.

Traditionally, offensive lines that are looking to get on track find it a lot easier if they can get their teeth into run blocking assignments, and the Titans game produced promising returns. As Patra suggested, only time will tell if Marks can be a stud that Ryans will be happy enough to strap a saddle on for the long haul, but he's going to find out.