The Houston Texans come into the 2023 season with a rookie quarterback, who will now be under even more pressure after losing one of his starting offensive linemen for the foreseeable future.
During a training camp press conference on Monday, August 7, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans announced that starting offensive tackle Tytus Howard will be out "for a while" due to a hand injury. ESPN's Adam Schefter shared the news on Twitter.
Texans? right tackle Tytus Howard ? who recently signed a $56 million contract extension ? has a hand injury that Houston HC DeMeco Ryans said will keep him out ?for a while.?
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 7, 2023
Howard was the Texans' first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, coming out of a smaller program in Alabama State. After starting eight games as a rookie, Howard has been one of the more consistently reliable offensive linemen for Houston, playing and starting in 46 of 50 possible regular season games.
Who Will Replace Houston Texans OT Tytus Howard?
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
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The Texans will now have a competition to determine who will replace Howard on the right side of the offensive line. Free agent acquisitions in George Fant and Greg Little are possible replacements, with Little holding the edge given his more recent experience on the right side of the line with the Miami Dolphins.
The uncertainty at offensive tackle will put added pressure on C.J. Stroud, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. A standout star with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Stroud finished his college career with 85 passing touchdowns and just 12 interceptions in two seasons as the starter for the Big Ten program.
Pressure is already on the Texans to turn things around after miserable 5-11 and 4-12 seasons in 2021 and 2022, respectively. With a new quarterback in Stroud and new head coach in Ryans, Texans fans are hoping that the franchise can quickly change direction and be more competitive in a potentially wide-open AFC South.
While it's unclear when Howard would be able to return from his hand injury, his absence on the right side of the offensive line is another hurdle that the players and coaching staff will have to get over to turn the franchise around.
