The NFL is built around the quarterback. Any team without a good quarterback, whether due to availability issues or talent acquisition constraints, will be challenged to compete throughout a 17-game season. No doubt the quickest way to take a team down a notch is to dissociate the field general from the game.
Although the Houston Texans haven’t had the best quarterback play in recent seasons, the potential resides in rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Without taking a single snap yet, it can be argued the former Ohio State product is the most essential player on the roster — just because of how the league is constructed.
What about non-quarterbacks on the Texans’ roster? Which player is the most essential among the nearly 90 Texans that remain?
According to Tyler Sullivan from CBS Sports, the most essential non-QB on the roster is left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Assuming rookie QB C.J. Stroud gets the nod under center, he’ll need all the help he can get up front, not only because the interior remains a question mark but because Stroud isn’t necessarily known for his mobility. Protect the signal-caller!
The three-time Pro Bowler played a full season’s complement of games for the first time in his career in 2022. The Texans went 3-13-1, the worst winning percentage since his 2019 arrival — even worse than 4-13 in 2021 when Tunsil played just five games.
However, Houston had a much better run game last year than in the season Tunsil was done with a thumb injury by Week 5. Former fourth-rounder Dameon Pierce is talented in his own right, but his 939 rushing yards were the closest a Texans running back has come to the 1,000-yard mark since 2019. In 2021, Rex Burkhead led the Texans with 427 and had the team’s only 100-yard game in Week 16. Tunsil’s presence on the left side as a road grader was essential for Pierce.
The Texans are hopeful that the DeMeco Ryans era will instill strong enough cohesion to absorb any attrition that may affect their position groups, regardless of how essential the starters are.
