Caserio, who traded up to acquire Rutledge, a consensus All-American and Senior Bowl standout, hasn't lost confidence in him.

He acknowledged, though, that Rutledge remains a work in progress.

"At times," Caserio said when asked if he still regards Rutledge to be the top offensive lineman on the roster. "He's done some good things. He's kind of going through probably some growing pains there. I think he's a good player. Think he's going to be a good player. Certainly, can do some things better. He can certainly improve. We're glad he's here. Think he's going through some ups and downs like most young players, most rookies do.”

What hasn't gone as well for Rutledge isn't complicated.

At times, he hasn't gotten off the football quickly enough or his hand placement and feet haven't been in the right place. What he's adjusting to all seems correctable. Against the New York Giants, Rutledge had a rarely seen zero pass blocking grade. At one point, Rutledge appeared to be attempting to trip a defensive lineman, sticking out his leg and whiffing. He wasn't penalized.

“Keylan has stepped in and did some really good things for us," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. "He's played aggressive. He's had some challenges as a rookie, but he's weathered it really well. One bad play doesn't determine how his game goes.

"He's able to eliminate a bad play and move on to the next play and he's done a really good job being steady in there, consistent force for us there on the inside and I'm pleased to see how the rest of his season continues to progress, but he's done a good job as a rookie. Sometimes you lose sight that he's a rookie because he's been one of our most consistent guys up front.”

The 2-5 Texans are back in action Sunday against the winless Los Angeles Chargers.

The Texans' five defeats are by a total of 31 points, losing close football games, including four of those losses by five points, two points, four points and six points.

"It's like we're a possession here, a possession there, a block here, a block there, just little stuff," Rutledge said. "That's a game-changer in those close games, so we just got to go do it. We've had games where we're all clicking and we look real good and we have moments where we don't look good."

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and Sports Talk 790. His YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AaronWilsonSport