At the time, the Houston Texans drafting Tytus Howard was considered a massive upset.
Howard was a physically gifted but raw offensive lineman from Alabama State — which isn't usually the recipe of a first round pedigree. Yet Houston drafted Howard with the 23rd overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, making him the fifth offensive lineman off the board to help build their trenches. Howard's journey since arriving in Houston has been many things. Of all the adjectives you could use to describe his resume, the one that may work the best is "flexible".
Howard is set to enter into his seventh season in the league and has only once played a season with all of his snaps coming at the same position. That year came in 2023, when Howard missed most of the season with a broken hand and then a season-ending knee injury. He's had some other close calls, including in 2020 when he took over 800 snaps at right tackle and then a handful of additional snaps at right guard.
Those handful of snaps at right guard are important for 2025 — because they're the only snaps Howard has taken at the position to date. But he's set to play there full-time in 2025 if the health of the rest of his unit allows it.
Tytus Howard settling in at right guard
So far in Howard's career, he's played 245 snaps at left tackle, 1,428 snaps at left guard, three snaps at right guard, and an additional 2,960 snaps at right tackle. For the first time in his career, he's well-established as a guard early in the summer. And Howard thinks it should prime him to take advantage.
“I love it, man...Just getting these reps in, Probably the first time I got a chance to get this many reps in at guard before the season started. So, I’m doing the best I can do to get the technique down. And the coaches have been doing a tremendous job helping me with that." - Tytus Howard via Aaron Wilson
Houston's offensive line overhaul this offseason is well-documented. Star tackle Laremy Tunsil is gone after a big trade this spring. Six new offensive linemen are in the fray, including projected starters Cam Robinson and Laken Tomlinson. Former starters elsewhere that are now a part of the mix include Trent Brown and Ed Ingram, plus the team drafted Aireontae Ersery on the second day of the 2025 NFL Draft.
This room has a lot of extra juice. Howard, for his part, should have enough pieces around him to hopefully stay locked in at the right guard position and build upon his performance week over week without having to chance his technique.
There's hidden value in being able to serve as a failsafe for your offensive line and play any position on any given week. In that regard, Howard has been steadily working his way towards justifying that surprising first round label. But the in-season changes and lack of consistency have prevented us from seeing just how good Howard really could be if given a chance to lock in.
He took a step in the right direction in 2024 by finally cutting down on the penalties. Howard, while playing a career high in snaps last season, was flagged just twice on the year while splitting time between right tackle and left guard. That's after logging a whopping 33 penalties in his first four seasons (plus an additional five that were not accepted).
Offensive line development is a process. It often requires a longer curve than other positions upon arrival to the league. It shouldn't be a surprise that Howard is included in that given his pedigree out of a small school — but Houston hasn't afforded him the chance to stick at a position and really master the technique.
Perhaps 2025 will finally be the year.
