Houston Texans: Three key starting players that are trending downward
Player #1: Senio Kelemete
The offensive guard that the Houston Texans made an modest investment in this past off season is not performing the way I expected. I’ve been waiting all season for him to prove me wrong but it seems as if he’s taking a step back with his level of performance week in-and-out.
After signing a three-year, $12 million deal with five million guaranteed, the Houston Texans may have not been expecting much out of guy who has been a career backup up until this point in his career.
Kelemete hailed from the New Orleans Saints where he was pivotal part of their offensive line and was counted upon to spot start when needed to help protect one of the best quarterbacks ever in Drew Brees.
He has been tasked with the same with Watson, who is a rising star in this league but I honestly feel that he can do better than what we have seen thus far. Last week, Jaylon Smith had some success getting to Watson from Kelemete’s side of the line and that’s got to be shored up quickly, especially when the team faces the Jacksonville Jaguars Oct. 21 on the road.
Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue and Myles Jack will all be gunning for Watson and that game will be his biggest test of the season. Can he hold up to the pressure? We’re about to see.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Senio Kelemete‘s pass block grades have been all over the map, he started the season at a 63.4, dropped to 45.4 against the Tennessee Titans, bounced back to a 75.5 against the Colts and dropped to a 70.9 against the Dallas Cowboys. He was sidelined in Week 3’s matchup against the New York Giants because of a knee injury.
I hope to see some consistency in such a vital element of his role because although he’s turned in solid performances these last two weeks, he’s starting to trend downward again and I really want to see this guy succeed.
His run block grades have held at a steady 53.5 average on the season but he allowed more pressures than in any game this season against the Cowboys with a total of four, which were two quarterback hits and two hurries. Kelemete has yielded the third-most pressures among the offensive line this season with 11 of those his credit. Only Julién Davenport (23) and Martinas Rankin (27) have more than he does.
Will Kelemete start to buck this trend that’s making me feel uneasy? We’ll have to keep an eye on him against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.