Houston Texans have a good problem
One of the problems the Houston Texans have had in recent memory was a lack of depth in certain positions. In 2022, that may still be the case in some positions, but linebacker isn’t one of them. The Texans currently have several linebackers on the roster who could become a Week 1 starter for the team in 2022.
The Texans re-signed Christian Kirksey and Kamu Grugier-Hill this offseason. Kirksey was the Texans’ defense leader in 2021 and will be there for the next two seasons. Kirksey’s veteran leadership will be extremely valuable to young players in the locker room. Kamu Grugier-Hill was perhaps Houston’s biggest surprise player last season playing at the Pro Bowl level. Kirksey and Hill will likely have the best chance of leaving for Houston in 2022.
The Texans drafted Alabama linebacker Christian Harris in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft and he made a significant early contribution to the Texans OTA. Nick Caserio and Lovie Smith were thrilled when they got the opportunity to draft Harris and he has the chance to become a hard-hitting starter sooner rather than later.
One player who impressed a lot of people around the building is Garret Wallow. Wallow was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 Non-TCU NFL Draft. Wallow played sparingly in 2021, but you could see some flashes of dominating play in the games he was active in. Texans general manager Nick Caserio recently spoke to SportsRadio 610 and had this to say about Wallow: “No one has made more progress physically and what they’ve done on the court in our program. than Garret Wallow”. Wallow has received extremely glowing praise from Caserio and he could be due for an expanded role in 2022.
The Texans added even more useful linebackers this offseason, like signing Jalen Reeves-Maybin, trading Blake Cashman, re-signing Tae Davis and Neville Hewitt.
The Houston Texans will enter training camp in just over a month and the battle for position at linebacker will be one to watch. There are several players among a crowded room of Texan linebackers who could find themselves starting in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. For once, Houston has a good problem on its hands.
