Last year, expectations were high for Tytus Howard. The Texans 2019 first-round draft pick was part of an offensive line tasked with protecting Deshaun Watson. As a unit, the offensive line paved the way for an average 4.6 rushing yards per play and eight games with over 350 total net yards on offense.
Now entering his second year, the Texans right tackle has even higher hopes for 2020 with all five starting offensive linemen returning.
"I feel like I did pretty good in the run game," Howard said Tuesday via Zoom. "This year too, I'm trying to take a step and get better in the pass protection so Deshaun (Watson) has more time back in the backfield. I feel like if I can get better and win the one-on-one blocks that I need to win, it's just going to only help the team. That's my goal for this year, to improve in pass protection so we can be better on offense."
In 2019, Howard would go on to start eight games at right tackle before a knee injury caused him to miss the final five games of the regular season and land him on injured reserve. After undergoing surgery at the beginning of the offseason, Howard got married, focused on his rehab and watched a lot of film.
"My offseason went pretty good," Howard said. "I was mostly in the building five days a week rehabbing, getting ready for the season. I got married in the offseason back in February, so I spent a lot of time with my wife. She's pregnant now and we're having a baby now in October. So that's how I spent my offseason. I spent it trying to get as healthy as I can so Year Two, I'll be able to play all 16 games plus the playoffs and bring some solidarity to the O-line so we can be the best unit we can be to help Deshaun (Watson) out and help the team out to be the best offense in the NFL."
The Texans kick off their 2020 regular season on Thursday, September 10 against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC and SportsRadio 610.
