Texans QB C.J. Stroud believes offensive line 'takes time' to build rapport
No, strike that. It's 100% been the souring feel around the roster after the defense finished a third straight practice where C.J. Stroud was feeling the pressure against a front seven that constantly tried to put the Pro Bowl quarterback on his rear end.
Still, as the team leaves for The Greenbrier for a week, Stroud isn't worried. He understands that sometimes the bad has to be beaten out of players before the good can finally appear.
'It takes time,' Stroud said Saturday of the offensive personnel. 'It's not something that just happens overnight. I feel like we're getting better every day."
The five-man front will look different from a season ago. That might be a blessing since Houston's expensive front line gave up 54 sacks, the second-most in the NFL last season, though it also will feature a new left tackle following the trade of Laremy Tunsil.
Cam Robinson comes in at left tackle on a one-year deal and is expected to start. On the right side, second-round pick Tay Ersery has been the most consistent player as the opposing book end. Tytus Howard, who saw action at both right tackle and right guard, has shifted inside full-time while Laken Tomlinson is expected to start on the left side.
All the changes have led to some confusion when it comes to protection calls, which has put Stroud under duress against the front seven. That's one way to look at the mishaps, but Stroud, trying to find a positive, mentioned that the unit could be going up against the league's best pass rush daily in practice, meaning they'll only improve against weaker competition.
"That's the best defensive line in football right now, with just how they get off the ball, to edge guys Will [Anderson Jr.] and Danielle [Hunter] are crazy athletes," Stroud said. "They rush together, they rush as a unit. I think it's just making us nothing but better. I think you don't want to continue to just say the defense is good. You want to start seeing progress and seeing plays being made. I think we've seen that these last couple of days. So, it's helpful for me to start going through reads and be able to go through my full progression when the offensive line is picking everything up."
The Texans' offensive line will look to respond in West Virginia at The Greenbrier before taking on the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
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