Tytus Howard New Contract 'Next Piece of Business' for Texans?

As the Houston Texans continue to take steps back to contender status, locking in Tytus Howard could be a necessity this offseason.

Building a perennial playoff contender in the NFL starts in the trenches, especially along the offensive line. A strong offensive line makes life easier for the rest of the offense, allowing them to fire on all cylinders.

Taking note of this, the Houston Texans have made a concerted effort to bolster their offensive line this offseason. Not only did they give Laremy Tunsil an extension, but they brought in Shaq Mason via trade and drafted Penn State's Juice Scruggs. 

Next up? Well, according to Pro Football Focus, the Texans should now focus on extending Tytus Howard before the start of the season.

"Houston traded for veteran right guard Shaq Mason before the draft and traded up for Penn State center Juice Scruggs to ideally take the starting reins from Scott Quessenberry, PFF writes. "So reinforcing the line in front of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is a clear priority."

"Keeping 2019 first-round pick Tytus Howard in the fold should be the next piece of business on the docket."

No, the offensive numbers were not exactly encouraging for the Texans last season. They fielded the NFL's 30th-ranked scoring offense, averaging 17 points per game on 283.5 yards of total offense. 

Howard, though, was not one of the issues in Houston. Rather, playing at right tackle saw him emerge as one of the best offensive linemen in the league. 

"Howard boasts back-to-back seasons with 70.0-plus pass-blocking grades and, after finally getting a full season at right tackle in 2022, should become one of the highest-paid right tackles in football before the 2023 season kicks off," PFF writes. 

Locking in Howard to an extension now would give the Texans bookend franchise tackles, with Laremy Tunsil holding down the left side of the line - and help Houston take the next step towards improvement on offense. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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