The Juice Scruggs era in Houston has come to an end. The embattled offensive lineman never quite gained traction in his three seasons in Houston as he played center and guard. Unfortunately for him, he was not able to crack the lineup last season even when the team was shuffling guards. Obviously, the bigger ticket is David Montgomery. He may not completely answer the Texans’ questions in the running back room, but he is the beginning of the answer.
Montgomery became available when he expressed displeasure with the time share in Detroit with Jahmyr Gibbs. However, Montgomery has still been productive in a platoon role. He has gained at least 715 yards in each of his six NFL seasons and reached a career high of 1070 in Chicago in 2020. However, his carries have diminished in each of the past three seasons as Gibbs has emerged as one of the best running backs in the NFL
How this impacts the draft and free agency is anyone’s best guess. The Texans were rumored to be in on guys like Kenneth Walker and Breece Hall, but this acquisition would seem to change that considerably. Depending on how they envision the running back room, they may still be in the market for a running back through the draft, but this seems clear that Joe Mixon is no longer in the team’s plans.
Of course, the other part of this trade is the shrinking of the offensive line room. Tytus Howard and Scruggs are now out the door. As things sit now, the Texans are still officially over the cap, but they have about a week to maneuver with restructures and other cuts to get to a spot where they can sign free agents. Clearly, the offensive line is an area of focus. What will they do next?
