The Houston Texans are staring down what could be a lengthy rebuild. They have turned into the laughingstock of the NFL, winning 11 games in the last three seasons combined and churning through head coaches with reckless abandon. Houston has fired their last two coaches, David Culley and Love Smith, after one season.
They are hoping that trend stops after hiring San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans this offseason. Ryans is one of the best players in Texan’s history and is hoping to get the franchise back on track.
The first step in that process is finding a long-term answer at the quarterback position. The Texans will have a chance to fill that void with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Whether it is Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, there will be some growing pains as Houston’s roster is lacking dynamic weapons, especially after wide receiver Brandin Cooks was traded to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason.
Alas, the most important thing to a young quarterback finding success is being protected in the pocket. That is something that the Texans took a step toward ensuring with their acquisition of Shaq Mason.
The Texans traded a sixth-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Mason and a seventh-round pick, which was named one of the best under-the-radar moves of the offseason. Mason is an eight-year veteran that will upgrade the interior of the Texans’ offensive line, likely replacing A.J. Cann.
Last season, Cann ranked 36th with a pass block win rate of 92.6 percent. Mason had a pass block win rate of 94.2 percent, which was 27th amongst guards. Cann was susceptible to surrendering sacks as well, giving up nine in 2022 while Mason gave up only three.
Winning in the trenches is paramount for a football team to find success. The Texans are doing a good job of building one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, which will certainly help their young quarterback find success early on.
With Mason in the fold, Houston now has three above-average starters on their unit. Combined with tackle bookends Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard, who allowed only 12 sacks last season, the Texans’ offensive line should find success in controlling the line of scrimmage in 2023.
