IN GOOD PLACE
Scheme fits his style, but Shaq Lawson faces lots of DL competition.
In a sudden downpour of rain, Texans defensive end Shaq Lawson was right where he wanted to be: hand in the mud, staring down a blocker, ready to vault forward in a defensive attack that allows him to be fluid, forceful and free.
This is the scheme in which Lawson says he thrives, the same “affect the quarterback in any way” style he played in Buffalo, where the 26-year-old lineman had a three-year stretch that totaled 14½ sacks and four forced fumbles.
The Texans desperately need more defensive disruption. Many of the fans who huddled beneath covered bleachers at Friday’s practice could tell that for themselves last season, when Houston’s 30th-ranked overall defense forced nine turnovers, secondfewest in the NFL since 1980.
Lawson was acquired to assist Houston’s defensive revival. He embodies the franchise’s philosophical shift from a 3-4 to 4-3 scheme under new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. It’s a fastpaced style that requires lighter, quicker players who can swiftly play on instinct. It’s the same fourman front in which Lawson became a first-team All-American at Clemson who was drafted No. 19 overall by the Bills in 2016.
Shoulder surgery kept Lawson from flourishing as a rookie, as did Rex Ryan’s 3-4 scheme that had Lawson playing somewhat out of position as a stand-up outside linebacker. But under Sean McDermott’s coaching staff the next three seasons, Lawson became a formidable pass rusher and run stopper in coordinator Leslie Frazier’s 4-3 defense.
“Shoot, Shaq was a pass rusher up there,” said Texans head coach David Culley, the Bills quarterbacks coach from 2017-2018. Lawson burgeoned into the “quick” defender Culley knows he can be, the lineman with “great movement,” a “great first step” and a refined array of moves that made him an effective edge rusher during one season with the Miami Dolphins, even within its 3-4 scheme.
Lawson’s skill set made him a proper target for the defensive line the Texans are trying to build.
General manager Nick Caserio has needed to essentially construct an entirely new unit, after former starters J.J. Watt (Cardinals), Carlos Watkins (Cowboys) and P.J. Hall (free agent) all departed in the offseason. Caserio traded Bernardrick McKinney, a hefty inside linebacker and Pro Bowler in Houston’s 3-4 scheme, to the Dolphins for Lawson while also swapping late-round picks.
There’s still no certainty that the former first-round pick starts for Houston. The competition for starting jobs on the defensive line is wide open, and a high influx of new linemen places Lawson smack dab in the middle of one of the more interesting position battles of Texans training camp.
Charles Omenihu flashed potential in five starts as a defensive end last season, when he recorded four sacks. Former 3-4 outside linebackers Whitney Mercilus, Jacob Martin and Jonathan Greenard have also all moved to end, and Jordan Jenkins, a former 3-4 rush linebacker for the New York Jets, signed a two-year deal with the Texans to bolster the pass rush.
Still, Smith insists the Texans will have a steady rotation on the defensive line no matter who starts. It’s a common strategy to keep linemen fresh against the more up-tempo, spread offenses developing across the league.
“That’s what’s good about being a d-lineman,” Lawson said. “You can plug in and out. You can go hard for five, six, seven plays, bring another d-line, they go hard, and you just feed off each other.”
Smith said Houston’s defensive line will also be flexible in passing situations. Omenihu can be used as a standard defensive end on first and second down, and, in an obvious passing down, the Texans can platoon a pass-rush heavy package and shift Omenihu inside.
“We have a few guys with position flexibility that will help on game day,” Smith said. “We’ll let him go.”
Lawson’s history as both a defensive end and upright rush linebacker makes him a prime candidate to take on a similar hybrid role. He said he fits within a defense in which he said “you can just attack,” a style that’s more about instincts, less about fancy schematics.
“We’re not going to have a million blitzes and things like that,” Smith said.
So, there’ll be an even greater expectation for linemen to win their blocking matchups, a greater responsibility within a unit that’s seeking to improve from ranking 18th in the league last year with just 34 total sacks.
“We’ve got a lot of really good pass rushers,” lineman Ross Blacklock said. “Guys can just go and just rush up field, use a move. It’s not really like a one-system thing. Guys can get out of their comfort zone and try new stuff and new moves, as well as myself. So, I’m excited to see what everybody has for the season and get to unleash some new tricks.”