John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.

When you consider the serious injury issues the Texans had in their offensive line last season, it's amazing they were able to finish 10-7, win the AFC South and pulverize Cleveland in the wild card round of the playoffs.

In Chris Strausser's first season as their offensive line coach under DeMeco Ryans, the Texans were forced to start 11 different linemen because of injuries. They lost more starters than any other line in the NFL.

Four linemen who combined for 27 starts, including tackle George Fant (13) and center Michael Deiter (10), are gone. The Texans return seven linemen who started games last season. Because of injuries, none started more than seven games other than right guard Shaq Mason (17) and left tackle Laremy Tunsil (14). Mason is the only player on offense and defense who started every game.

Obviously, Ryans, Strausser and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik don't want a repeat of last year's injury problems up front. The second preseason game is too early to push the panic button when it comes to injuries, but the Texans are expected to miss three key members of the line on Friday when they play at Pittsburgh.

Tunsil, one of the league's best tackles, is still undergoing rehabilitation from offseason knee surgery. The plan is to have him ready for the first regular season game at Indianapolis. Two other veteran tackles – Tytus Howard and Charlie Heck – are also expected to miss the Steelers' game.

Howard was injured in practice this week in Cleveland, where the Texans moved training camp between the Pro Football Hall of Fame game against Chicago to Friday's game against the Steelers.

"Tytus is good," Ryans said the day after he used a cart to be chauffeured into the facility to be diagnosed. He's underdoing rehab, as his Heck.

Ideally, Strausser will have all his linemen available for the first game against the Colts. In the meantime, backups are getting a lot of extra time during practice and games, none more than second-round pick Blake Fisher.

With Tunsil in rehab, Fisher has been running with the first team since training camp began. He's getting valuable experience that should benefit him greatly if he becomes the swing tackle over Heck or gets the starting job on the right side if Howard has injury issues like last season when he started seven games.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Nick Caserio drafted Fisher to become a valuable reserve who'd eventually earn a starting job. So far, Fisher has been terrific at the most difficult position on the offensive line. Ryans likes just about everything he's seen from Fisher but knows he's got a long way to go to become the kind of player he's capable of.

"I'm pleased with what Blake did in the (Chicago) game," Ryans said this week. "He held his own, and (he has) some things to clean up with pad leverage and getting Blake to do a better job of bending. But he has the length and the tools to play on the left side or right side, as we've seen. I know he's benefited from being able to get a ton of reps on the left side."

Slowik is interested in seeing what his offense does even though his play calling will continue to be vanilla because he doesn't want to give away any secrets for regular season. Fans are eager to see how much playing time quarterback C.J. Stroud gets, probably not more than a series or two.

Stroud did an extraordinary job as a rookie playing behind a line that was plagued by injuries but still helped the Texans improve by seven victories. They'd like to improve more this season, and the line will have to provide Stroud with solid protection.

When asked this week about Fisher, Slowik said, "He's competing just like the rest of the crew. It's about growing every day and getting better than you were the day before. Then, by the time Week One rolls around, we know we're going to be ready. Blake has done that. In pass pro, he has particularly made some technique adjustments that have helped him. The rushers he's going against have helped him. I know he has a lot of conversations with them on what they're thinking, what they're doing. Then talking to other linemen has helped him.

"Then the run game for us is very different than where he came from in college (Notre Dame), but he's been doing a good job. He's bought in, and right now, I'd say he's a little further ahead in the run game than the pass game. He just has to put his head down and keep growing."

Ryans said this week the starters will make an appearance in Pittsburgh. The starters who have nagging injuries, like Howard and Heck, will step aside and let others take their place. Fisher, left guard Kenyon Green and center Juice Scruggs should start their second game because they need all the playing experience they can get.

Guard Nick Broeker started the Bears' game at right tackle and could make it two in a row. The newly acquired Cameron Irving, a 10-year veteran who turns 32 this month, should get some playing time. The Texans are his sixth team, and he's started in two games the last two seasons.

Ryans was asked if the injuries in the offensive line would change what the Texans want to achieve in their second preseason game.

"No, it doesn't change at all," he said. "We keep going with our offensive line. We're always moving guys around, having guys play different positions, so whoever's available and ready to go, they'll be out there for preseason."

The plan the coaches have put together is to have every player as ready as possible for the Indianapolis opener. They showed last year they know what they're doing.

"We've been rolling in camp for a while now," Ryans said. "It seems like a long time, and I look ahead like, 'Wow! We still have a good amount of time to go.' I'm monitoring reps every day, seeing where we are, keeping track of it and just making sure we're smart with how we're loading our guys with the reps and making sure we're peaking at the right time because when you start camp as early as we have, I don't want guys peaking at preseason Week Two.

"We want to make sure we take care of our guys the right way (and) be as healthy as possible going into the season."

"When I was in high school, I was a massive Hurricanes' fan, and eventually becoming teammates with Andre was very special for me," he said. "My family was traveling, and we were in the Atlanta airport when I saw Devin wearing his Miami letterman's jacket. I was 15 or 16, and I have a photo of us. (On Saturday) I got a photo with Devin at the Hall of Fame. I'm trying to see if my mom can dig up the old one so I can put them side by side."

Johnson, Hester, Julius Peppers, Dwight Freeney, Patrick Willis, Randy Gradishar and Steve McMichael, who was represented by his wife, Misty, because he's suffering from ALS, gave emotional and passionate acceptance speeches that made a profound impact on Watt.

"That's another thing that stood out to me – watching the speeches and seeing those guys interact was all the other members of the Hall of Fame," he said. "They talked to the new members about joining a new team with a new family and a new brotherhood. You can tell how much that means to not only the guys being inducted this year but also to all the guys on stage who came back to Canton. They treat each other like family. It was cool to see the respect and admiration between so many greats.

"It was great to listen to their stories and hear them speak because those are guys I have so much respect for."

And they have so much respect for each other.

You can't put a number on respect. There's no dollar sign. But in four years, Watt is going to find out that he earned so much respect on and off the field during his 12-year career that he's going to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

"If I'm fortunate enough to get in, that would be absolutely incredible," Watt said. "I'm so happy for Andre, the first Texan to make the Hall of Fame. I would be incredibly honored to join him in that brotherhood."

Four more years!