Texans OL Juice Scruggs Signs Rookie Deal with Houston

The Texans traded up in the second round of the NFL Draft to pick Juice Scruggs, and now he's set to stay in Houston through 2027, which both he and coach DeMeco Ryans are excited about.

The Houston Texans have officially signed center-guard Juice Scruggs to a rookie deal, marking the first of many milestones to come between the franchise and its second-round pick. 

Scruggs' deal was completed Monday, with the rookie signing a standard four-year deal to lock him in through the 2026-27 season, where he will work to become one of Houston's top offensive linemen. 

In the meantime, Scruggs still has a lot to provide to the Texans, which coach DeMeco Ryans was not shy about expressing during his press conference on Friday.

“He's played really good ball,” Ryans said. “I Feel like he has room to improve and be even better. I think he'll be really good in our scheme with his skill set. He's physical, smart and he's proven that in college, so we're excited to work with [him] on the offensive line.”

DeMeco on the #Texans moving up to get Juice Scruggs & what he expects from the offensive line this year pic.twitter.com/CR4CRFPCR5

— Shaun Bijani (@ShaunBijani) May 12, 2023

Scruggs spent four seasons with Penn State but missed a significant amount of time after a car accident sidelined him for an entire season. 

Despite missing time, Scruggs came back in late 2020 and finished out his career before declaring for the NFL draft. After being invited to the Combine, Scruggs put up an impressive performance, which made him that much more of an asset for any team needing an upgrade on their offensive line. 

The Texans were one of those teams and sweetened the deal for Scruggs by trading up for him at pick No. 62 - A move that was exciting for both him and Ryans.

"We have some good guys starting for us," Ryans said. "[It's] a very talented group, and to add [Juice] to that, to add some young guys who are flexible, who can play center and guard, that was important. That's why we traded up for him." 

Scruggs will enter his rookie season under the leadership of veteran linemen like Laremy Tunsil, Shaq Mason, and Tytus Howard, which should only further help climate him into the system going forward.

And all eyes will be on the line as Houston works to climb back into contention and become an AFC success once again.

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