The Houston Texans are without a general manager and heading into a 2019 campaign with high expectations. But they may have to begin the season without two starting players on offense.
Last season, the Houston Texans won the AFC South with an 11-5 record, but the rapidly improving Indianapolis Colts were hot on their heels, going 10-6. After failing to make upgrades to their offensive line to help out top-10 quarterback Deshaun Watson, Houston may have just lost a key starter up front in their Week 3 preseason tilt.
In just the first quarter of the Texans’ dress rehearsal game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, two offensive starters were carted off the field. First, No. 1 running back Lamar Miller exited his first preseason game with a knee injury and had to be carted off. NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported that players on both sides huddled on the field.
That’s always a scary thing to hear, and it means Miller could be out for a significant period of time. Backup Duke Johnson will become an even more important part of the Texans offense as a rusher, as Houston acquired him for a potential third-round pick from the Cleveland Browns in order to both bolster their passing game and relatively weak ground attack.
Miller is the big-name injury for the Texans, but they also lost a player who could be just as important. Per Dov Kleiman, starting right guard Zach Fulton was also carted off the field. The experienced Tennessee product was a key starter on an offensive line that recently acquired proverbial turnstile Matt Kalil at left tackle, so a significant injury to Fulton doesn’t bode well for Watson, who was the NFL’s most-sacked quarterback i 2018.
Hopefully, Miller and Fulton avoid the worst, but the Miller injury looked particularly gruesome. Texans fans can only hope that Johnson lives up to his potential after being somewhat wasted by the Browns, and the organization will likely have their eyes on other backs in free agency or even on the trade market.
In Melvin Gordon and Ezekiel Elliott, there are a pair of superstars who could be acquired by the unpredictable Texans “front office.” As of right now, Johnson is the only experienced running back on the roster.