Defensive line awaits its makeover
With Watt gone, unit will have new look as it shifts from base 3-4 to 4-3
Determining who starts and who becomes part of the rotation in the Texans’ defensive line are priorities for the coaches during training camp and preseason.
In the transition from a base 3-4 defense to a 4-3 under Lovie Smith, the defensive line has undergone substantial changes and might not be recognizable when the Texans begin the regular season Sept. 12 against Jacksonville at NRG Stadium.
Of the 50 new players acquired by general manager Nick Caserio, eight are defensive linemen.
For the first time since 2010, the Texans won’t be able to pencil in J.J. Watt at left end. Of the four linemen who started at least nine games last season, only tackle Brandon Dunn returns, and he’s coming off hip surgery.
Watt (16), Dunn (13), Carlos Watkins (11) and P.J. Hall (nine) were the primary starters up front.
After the offseason program, Smith and defensive line coach Bobby King are a long way from deciding on four starters up front. They’ll tell us who starts isn’t as important as who’s good enough to play in the rotation the Texans will use.
Smith will have run stoppers and pass rushers and, hopefully for the defense, a few players who can do both.
Based on moves made in the offseason and performances during OTAs, it won’t be surprising if the four starters are Shaq Lawson and Charles Omenihu on the outside and Jaleel Johnson and Maliek Collins on the inside.
Jordan Jenkins, DeMarcus Walker, Ross Blacklock, Dunn and three former outside linebackers moving to end — Whitney Mercilus, Jonathan Greenard and Jacob Martin — will be among the linemen competing for playing time.
The competition should be fierce because there are 15 trying to make the team — 14 veterans and rookie tackle Roy Lopez, a sixthround pick.
Of the players returning, Omenihu could benefit the most by the change in schemes. In five starts last season, he had four sacks, five tackles for loss and 16 hits on the quarterback. At 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds, he can play inside or outside.
“Charles has versatility because of his size and length,” King said recently. “You can play him at a lot of positions, and he can affect the quarterback in a lot of different ways.
“We’re telling him don’t be a square peg in a round hole. If we ask you to play three-technique, six-technique, five-technique, whatever, he’s up for it and, we expect big things from Chuck this year.”
Caserio acquired Lawson from Miami for inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney. That move wasn’t made for Lawson to sit on the bench. He plays the run well, and that’s a priority.
Caserio signed the other three as free agents.
Jenkins, a five-year starter with the Jets, had seven sacks in 2018, eight in 2019 and two last season. He’s making the move from outside linebacker to playing with his hand on the ground and could be one of the most effective pass rushers.
“Jenkins as a person, he’s a leader,” King said.
“As a player, he’s a tough guy. He brings that hidden toughness you can’t coach.
“He’s going to get off blocks (and), he’s going to do a lot of dirty work. You can’t have enough guys like Jordan Jenkins. Guys just gravitate toward him. He’s not a real rah-rah guy, but they can see he’s a man who handles his business. Guys fluctuate to that, and it’s contagious.”
Johnson started 16 games for the Vikings last season. Collins started 11 with the Raiders. In three of his four seasons with the Cowboys, Collins started 16 games twice and 14 once. He’s an easy fit in a 4-3.
All those new linemen have to help fix an old problem. One reason the Texans finished 30th in defense and last against the run in 2020 was the dreadful performance by a front seven that didn’t provide the same productivity and consistency as 2019 when they won a fourth AFC South title in five years.
Smith and King have to use camp and preseason to decide on four starters and major contributors off the bench by the time they kick off against the Jaguars.
Decisions the coaches make in their transition to the 4-3 must begin with an improvement against the run. The Texans surrendered 160.3 yards a game rushing last season.
“I hate to always say this cliché, but just doing your job,” King said when asked the best way to improve the run defense. “Doing your job, then help out.
“If you’ve got a certain gap, win your gap. If you’ve got to do some certain things (against) blocks, do that, and then help out. If you get a one-on-one block, defeat it and play with an edge. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”
The coaches want players with enough discipline to take care of their responsibilities, the intelligence to make the adjustments they’re taught and then the ability to make plays.
The plan is to improve against the run, force teams to throw, get after the quarterback and get more takeaways.
One veteran in particular is going to be under the microscope as soon as camp begins because he’s in a new role and can help bolster a pass rush that produced 34 sacks last season.
Playing end for the first time since his junior year at Illinois, Mercilus could play fewer snaps but get more pressure on the quarterback. The Texans need for him to repeat his 2019 performance when he led the team with 7½ sacks. He had four last season.
“With this profile on what we’re looking for, Whitney can run (and) he can rush off the edge,” Smith said. “We start with that with our up-front guys.
“Some places say, “To get pressure, we’ve got to blitz.’ We start off saying that we need to be able to get pressure with our fourman rush, and a part of that is our outside guys being able to win (beat blocks). Whitney has proven in his time in the NFL that he can win on the outside.”
Mercilus, who turns 31 on July 21, is playing in his 10th season.
“We’ve talked about some of the (younger) players, but to have an older player that’s done it the right way and has been a great Texan, I’m excited about him, too,” Smith said. “He’s going to have a good year.”
Last season, the defense forced nine turnovers, second-fewest in the NFL since 1980. That statistic sticks in Smith’s craw. He’s always prided himself on having defenses that consistently take away the ball.
In Smith’s first season, the Texans may be better than 30th in defense and 32nd against the run, but there’s one statistic you can bet on that’ll improve — takeaways — and you can take that to the bank.