Budging a stacked line of scrimmage in the NFL is a difficult task under any circumstances.
Creating enough push to open holes large enough for running backs to bust through ultimately comes down to timing, technique and brute strength.
For Texans left offensive guard Tytus Howard, flanked by two veteran blockers in Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and veteran center Justin Britt, he has those qualities. However, that was an extremely tough job against talented Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown.
During a 24-9 loss, Howard allowed penetration and that led to tackles in the backfield.
In his ongoing transition from his natural right tackle position, Howard is continuing to adapt to the responsibilities of playing inside.
“I think I get more comfortable every week, every play,” said Howard, a former first-round draft pick from Alabama State selected by former Texans general manager Brian Gaine. “There’s still a learning process but I think I’m doing a pretty good job. But there’s always room to improve and I am taking it day by day to get better and be the best version of myself for the team.”
An aggressive, physical blocker at 6-foot-5, 322 pounds, Howard was shifted inside with the desire to get their five best blockers across the line on the field.
Photo: Getty Images
Howard hasn’t graded out highly on Pro Football Focus analytics with a 34.8 overall grade through three starts.
The Texans struggled to run the football against the Panthers, rushing for just 42 yards on 17 carries for an average of 2.5 yards per run.
“We watched the film,” Howard said. “We always want to get better every week. The first week we rushed for a lot of yards. Second, we didn’t do it, third week we didn’t rush for a lot of yards. Just keep stacking on those wins and those losses and just keep moving forward with it getting better day by day. The biggest thing for us is to be more consistent and I think when we do that as an offensive line, the sky’s the limit for this offense.”
Everything happens faster at guard. For Howard, adjusting from fanning out in pass protection to working in a more constricted area is a huge change from the tackle position.
“I think it’s a lot more when you are playing guard with games and stuff when you are playing tackles because it’s such a small space and you have to knock the guy for the tackle and then you have to come back and block your guy,” Howard said. “ It’s a little bit more but we’ve gotten a lot of games ran towards us these first couple of games, so it’s a good thing for us to get those early on in the season so we will be prepared for the rest of the season.”
The Texans remain confident in Howard, who has embraced the position shift.
“He’s improving,” Texans coach David Culley said. “He’s getting more comfortable there. The more he’s been there, the more comfortable he’s gotten. The more comfortable he is with those guys working together over there, making calls and being on the same page.
“I think it’s been good for him simply because he’s been stable there in one position and he’s getting more and more comfortable with that. I think you are starting to see him play a little bit more aggressive than what he has in the past, simply because he’s getting more comfortable.”
Howard has the requisite size, power and nasty streak to succeed as an interior blocker muscling hefty defensive tackles.
Howard plays the game with an aggressive personality and delivers punishing blocks. The in-fighting at the line of scrimmage, protecting his territory, is right up his alley.
Signed to a four-year, $12.225 million contract that includes a club fifth-year option, Howard is much healthier this season. A year ago, he endured a rough offseason that included recovering from knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus, a procedure to repair a broken finger, and dealing with no offseason practices due to the coronavirus pandemic. He wound up getting off to a slow start.
Now the Texans want to see Howard regain the form that made him an all-rookie selection as he’s being coached by former NFL offensive lineman James Campen.
A lot of Howard’s physical and mental qualities make him well-suited to play guard, which he hadn’t played since he was a rookie in his first NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I think everything’s a little different when you get into a game,” Howard said. “Everything’s faster, a lot of different schemes, a lot of different players. So, I’ve just been taking it day by day and learning each day.
“I think we missed some assignments so just no more missing assignments. Then we can be better on the double teams. There’s just a lot of little stuff that we, but we weren’t consistent with it. The biggest thing is being consistent in the run game and that can help us better.”
Playing guard represents a major change for Howard.
“Now offensive lineman, they all love the run block,” Culley said. “They all love coming off the ball. The big challenge in his case being a tackle and a guard is the pass blocking because of how it is when you’re on the edge as opposed to being inside having help. I think that’s been a plus for him from a pass blocking standpoint is that obviously he’s proven in the past that he can play outside also and be a good pass blocker.
“With being inside, a lot of things happen. There are games that happen were you have to work with the center, you got to work with the tackle and he’s learning all of that right now and he’s getting more and more comfortable with that. But the transition is probably a little bit tougher for pass blocking than run blocking.”
And the Buffalo Bills, Sunday’s opponent, has one of the top defenses in the NFL with an aggressive front headlined by linebackers Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds, Ed Oliver, Jerry Hughes and standout rookie Greg Rousseau.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Howard said. “They got a pretty good front seven. They got a pretty good defense in general. I think the goal is for us is to improve, keep stacking on the good thing we do and learn from the mistakes we make. So, we go out compete at a high level, do what we practice to do, and I think we should be fine.”
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 years and has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128