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ITL reacts to the Texans signing offensive tackle Braden Smith and breaks down how the move could impact the offensive line and the protection around C.J. Stroud.
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00:00Oh, yeah, baby, this is the good stuff, baby.
00:02The Texans have made an acquisition, and this one's from the outside this time.
00:06It is tackle, Colts offensive tackle.
00:09Braden Smith is signed to a two-year deal per Diana Mussini.
00:15We don't have numbers on this, but this is a bona fide starting right tackle
00:20that played for the Colts last year.
00:25So now you bring in a tackle.
00:27We've talked a lot about interior offensive line, but you've got a pair there.
00:31This makes it so that Trent Brown is not a starter inherently,
00:34not even for a short period of time.
00:36He slotted where I think we wanted him to be as a depth piece,
00:40but what are your immediate thoughts hearing that, how old is he,
00:4430-year-old tackle Braden Smith has signed for a two-year deal with the Texans?
00:50Oh, first impressions, big-time veteran, has done a lot.
00:54He goes back to 2018 with the Colts.
00:58He's been a long-time Colt.
00:59Here's where it gets so important for the Texans.
01:03Great run blocker.
01:05I mean, his calling card has been, back to his days at Auburn,
01:09just a big-time run-blocking presence.
01:13Fits the, again, we were talking about the profile and philosophy.
01:16Fits it perfectly for this team.
01:19And so I feel like that's exactly what they've been wanting to do,
01:22exactly what we've wanted them to do, and can slide right in.
01:27I mean, I think that gives you a lot of flexibility with Trent Brown,
01:30just as what I've been calling him for a while now, the insurance policy.
01:34Yeah.
01:34And I think that's exactly what he will be.
01:36So now you have your two tackles.
01:38Ursary's going to be your left tackle, and he's going to be your right tackle.
01:42Two-year deal, $20 million, according to Ian Rapoport,
01:46if I'm reading that correctly, yeah, there it is right there.
01:49So that's pretty good value, too, for a tackle that's been around
01:52and can absolutely run block.
01:54Yeah, it seems like Schefter, now, of course, now we're in the insider wars
01:58because Rapoport has 20.
02:00It seems like Schefter has up to $25 million.
02:04Either way.
02:04Bet bonuses and such.
02:05Right.
02:06Either way, this is a manageable deal.
02:08This is a dude who we were interested in, in Braden Smith at tackle.
02:12You give yourself.
02:13What's interesting is I'm looking at a different assessment of him
02:16where outstanding posture, balance, and leverage, wins, and pass protection
02:21as a polished technician.
02:22I've always known him as a – because he was on a – by the way,
02:24he was on a really good offensive line with the Colts.
02:26Yeah, with the Colts, 100%.
02:27Back when they were really one of the best.
02:29I've always thought of him as a really good run blocker.
02:31What's interesting, though, is what this is described as –
02:33I'm looking at the athletics description of him –
02:36has some limitations as a run blocker, lacking consistency when working downhill.
02:39Now, we'll see what that ultimately is, and I'm looking forward to now going
02:43and really digging in on the tape of the newest Houston Texan,
02:47right tackle, Braden Smith.
02:49This is good.
02:50This is absolutely good.
02:51We've talked all day long, all season long,
02:54about how offensive line is important on getting stronger.
02:56And what's fun about this is that this is a move that you can easily say
03:01helps CJ Stroud, right?
03:02This is on the outsides where you're trying to make sure that pass protection
03:07is strong.
03:08One of the things we've talked about, or at least I've talked about,
03:11to not put this on you is, all right, if you want to evaluate CJ Stroud
03:15in this upcoming final year of his rookie deal,
03:18you want to put forward the best circumstances possible for that to be there.
03:22And having a tackle tandem that you feel strong in,
03:25Ariante Urshry obviously having a really good rookie year
03:27that you're expecting him to build on,
03:29and then a bona fide proven veteran in Braden Smith at 30 years old
03:33and with the experience that he has under his belt,
03:36that feels like your edges are going to be a lot more substantial.
03:39A couple of questions if you have for him.
03:42We talked about him earlier.
03:43He's also, by the way, he's considered very much a swarmy kind of tackle,
03:49you know, one of those nasty guys that we like.
03:51But one of the things we talked about earlier about him,
03:54you know, he battled severe OCD for a long time.
03:57Yes, he did.
03:57And has overcome that or is overcoming that, dealing with it, whatever.
04:01I think he missed probably, what was it, a span of, what, five, six games
04:04a few years back?
04:05I think he missed four last year, five the year before that.
04:08Five games.
04:08So that was five years that he missed for that.
04:10Last year he had an injury that was head and neck.
04:12So there are some question marks that are in here,
04:15but these don't feel like things that are going to stop no show
04:17because he ends up playing after, when we talk about head and neck,
04:21and he definitely comes back after the severe OCD.
04:25That's something that he worked through.
04:27So, yeah, again, there's those things that you have to deal with.
04:29I feel good about him here, especially with any of those things.
04:33This is a kind of compassionate organization when it comes to player concerns,
04:38so I think that they will handle him well when it comes to the injury
04:41portions of this.
04:42But he's nasty.
04:43But he does have that.
04:44He does have that.
04:45The question, though, because I see you from the 832.
04:47There you go.
04:48Now you guys can smile.
04:49First and foremost, I will never smile.
04:50You can't make me.
04:51You're not my real dad.
04:52But in all reality, outside of the jokes,
04:55interior offensive line still ends up being a question, right?
04:57Now, this isn't a prohibitive amount of money that goes in on Braden Smith,
05:01and I imagine that even as you handle it on the cap,
05:04that it'll be something that you can manage.
05:07There's still got to be a guard, right?
05:09Like, you still need a left guard, or is there any chance in hell
05:11that you end up having any level of shuffling on the offensive line?
05:15There still needs to be a guard, but you do have options now in terms of maybe
05:20moving up in the draft for the guard that you want,
05:22someone who can step right in you.
05:23Because if you draft a guard in the first round, he's going to be your starter.
05:27I mean, he just is.
05:28So you have some flexibility there.
05:30There still is.
05:31There are some other options out there to sign a guard maybe today,
05:35you know, or at least get the report today.
05:38No, I think it's a big checkmark on the Texans' favor.
05:42You know, he's not like this ultra.
05:45He was one of the top tackles available,
05:46but it wasn't considered an ultra elite tackle class.
05:50But he is toward the top of that, of what was available.
05:53I like it.
05:54I think it, you know, I said earlier, had they signed or had reportedly,
05:58you know, come to an agreement with a lineman first,
06:01we'd feel a lot different about the Blankenship signing.
06:04Well, it makes you feel a little, look at that a little differently now too,
06:06because they did both to their defense and they got their tackle.
06:09Yeah.
06:10The question I have for you,
06:11and maybe this is something that we'll have to dig in on and return to,
06:15is he better than Titus Howard at right tackle?
06:17Now, of course, he's not making the same amount of money, right?
06:20So this is definitely going to be a lot more palatable than having Titus
06:24Howard at guard, just if we're taking, you know, apples to apples.
06:27But is he better than Titus Howard?
06:29Because one of the things that,
06:30and I hate to be the dude that's already trying to, you know,
06:33poke holes in this is compared to last year.
06:36Well, if Titus Howard had remained, he would be your right tackle, right?
06:39But it does give you options financially to,
06:42to maybe go get a two for one, so to speak,
06:44or in essence, a two for one with a guy that is not a big drop off.
06:48I don't think, is he better than Titus Howard?
06:51We can argue that all we want.
06:52He's not a drop off from Titus Howard.
06:54I'm looking at one of the,
06:56one of the scouting reports on him from this last season,
07:00you know, talking about his success rate.
07:02Now he didn't play some games as we talk about.
07:05I think four games this year, five, as I mentioned the year before,
07:0913 starts, 26 pressures, one sack allowed,
07:12known as a mauler in the run game.
07:13It's difficult to qualify, quantify his influence in this area.
07:1883rd percentile in the run game.
07:20So, you know, he's a, he's a good player, right?
07:22He's a good player.
07:22Definitely nastier, right?
07:23And I see you eight through two, definitely nastier than Titus,
07:26which ultimately seems like that's part of the idea of what they're doing here.
07:29The question I, the reason why I bring that up is I still, again,
07:32everything feels like it comes into the context of,
07:35are you a better offensive line?
07:37Because same, same level offensive line.
07:40All right, cool, but I want to find a better offensive line.
07:44Now, of course, an offensive line is only so good as they come together
07:47and they can make themselves, right?
07:48You got to form up like Voltron when you talk about these five on the offensive line.
07:52So it remains to be seen what that actually is.
07:54But at the very least, you're not in a place where you're having to start a
07:58Titus Howard that is, Titus Howard, a Trent Brown that is a legitimate injury concern.
08:04If you have to go to him, you feel good about that.
08:06But he continues to be there.
08:08Does this take off the table for you the possibility of drafting a tackle?
08:12No, no, I don't think it does.
08:14I think guard is probably higher on the list, you know,
08:17simply because they haven't signed a guard yet and they need one.
08:20There's a gaping hole over there right now.
08:22But the other thing I mentioned with, you know, talking about Trent Brown as insurance,
08:27the only real concern right now, because he's just 30 years old,
08:31has been durability.
08:32I'm looking at his game log now.
08:34He did miss four games last year, five the year before, and seven the year before that.
08:39So, okay, if he's not durable, who you got?
08:41Oh, we got Trent Brown.
08:42Sure.
08:42You know, so there is that, you know, kind of one-two punch if you have to.
08:45Yeah, that is there.
08:47So it is starting to come together.
08:49I think there's still, look, as much as I am excited about, one,
08:53just having a new piece in here, especially also feeling like you're doing a better job
08:58of addressing the personality of the offense, right?
09:01I feel like we're not going to end up in this season going, all right,
09:05there's a disparity between the swarm levels on the defense and the offense.
09:08I feel like it probably is still going to be that because the defense has such a head start.
09:11But it feels like you're going to have an opportunity to narrow that.
09:14You still got to be stronger in the interior.
09:16And so, look, there's still, obviously, there's time, right?
09:18There are guards out there to be signed at left guard.
09:22I'm still looking for that one because the interior on the system
09:25and the scheme that you seem to want is important.
09:27But this is a good acquisition, at the very least,
09:30when you talk about for the price that you are getting.
09:32And just to be fair, we all are penciling him in as a tackle.
09:38But he did play guard at Auburn as well.
09:40In fact, a lot of games at Auburn.
09:41Do you think, then, the possibility is that that is your left guard there
09:44and that you are still in a place where you could have a Trent Brown at right tackle
09:47or a rookie tackle?
09:49Yeah, I actually don't.
09:51It's kind of weird.
09:52There's that Titus Howard comparison again.
09:55A guy that can swing to the guard if you need to.
09:57You know?
09:58So, it's just a lot of, just cheaper.
10:00But I don't think you lose a lot.
10:02Yeah, flexibility is something that they seem to care about as an organization.
10:05If that flexibility shows itself to be the case, then that is a good thing as well
10:10because that was another thing about losing Titus Howard is
10:13you lose probably your best opportunity to cover up some of the gaps.
10:16I think Seth made this point this morning, and it is a good one,
10:19as he is wanting to, you know, the types of arguments that he's typed and
10:22want to make, rather, is if something doesn't work at left guard,
10:27you don't have as much of the cover anymore.
10:29You can't just go, well, we'll slide Titus over there like you had in previous years.
10:33Right?
10:34Maybe you'd have that here with Rayden Smith because before you make this deal,
10:38and, of course, before you make this deal, you have one fewer player.
10:40Right?
10:40I understand that.
10:41But you get what I'm going for.
10:43It was Jarrett Patterson.
10:44Even if he signed someone and something happened or it wasn't working,
10:48Jarrett Patterson has to step in.
10:49And Jarrett Patterson is fine, but I don't know how much I love that as an answer.
10:54This feels like a possibility.
10:55But, again, that guard still needs to be settled in my mind unless they view this
10:59as the guard in which I still also would like to see it, right, when we get to camp.
11:03But that's the beauty of having these guys in.
11:05So, again, when it comes down to it, you look at a right tackle or a tackle signing
11:10formerly of the Colts who played right tackle there.
11:13Rayden Smith, two-year.
11:15Adam Schefter has it at 25.
11:16Ian Rappaport has it at 20.
11:18We'll see what the official number comes in at.
11:20But either way, a very manageable, very palatable deal for a dude who has proven
11:25and definitely has that swarm and that nastiness that you look for.
11:28Yeah, and that's what they've been looking for.
11:29David Montgomery, obviously Braden Smith.
11:33I think these are the things.
11:35They're trying to get swarmier on offense.
11:36And this is a guy that's been through a lot, just considered really, really nasty
11:41on the field.
11:42Somebody was talking about he just never has backed down from a fight.
11:45This guy, D'Amico Ryan, has written all over it, you know?
11:48Yeah, and that's what you need.
11:50This is one where I wonder, yeah, we've talked about it, the CJ of this all, right,
11:55because it all matters.
11:57We were talking about this in the break a couple of breaks ago.
11:59I don't even need you to be an incredible passing offense, and I know that that sounds
12:04insane.
12:05If you want to go in on the we're going to play really good defense and run the football
12:08well, I'm here for it.
12:10Let's equip your team to do that.
12:13To be able to do it.
12:13And you get a nasty dude that at least historically has been a dude who can move people in the
12:18run game.
12:19That's what I'm asking for.
12:20That's what I'm looking for here.
12:21Yeah.
12:22I'm with you.
12:23I like it.
12:23I think it gives you options.
12:25I think it's cheaper.
12:26I still think you have a chance.
12:27And this is the money they were clearing to still go get another guard and then see what
12:31happens in the draft.
12:33From Sonny Steve on the text line, is he better than Trent Brown, though?
12:38One, I would think so.
12:39Again, I'll go back and watch and make sure that I give you an answer that is well informed
12:43in that moment.
12:44But then, two, I think the potential for availability matters in this.
12:48And even that, I think you've raised a valid point on some of the injuries.
12:52I would still argue that he probably has a better potential for availability than Trent
12:56Brown.
12:57I absolutely agree.
12:58And maybe you add them together, and together you have one starting right tackle for 17
13:01You kind of do.
13:02You know, you have a guy that has missed some games in the last couple of years, but
13:06is really good, really tough otherwise, and good in the run game, which is something
13:11that you're focusing on.
13:12And then you have Trent Brown, who has also had some durability issues, but when he's
13:16in there, he's been good to very good.
13:18Yeah, so Aaron Wilson helping clarify this as well.
13:21Two years, $20 million in base value.
13:23The max value is $25 million, so that it could go up to that.
13:27So yeah, there you go.
13:28You have a dude who is going to come in at, I guess, generally $10 million, depending on
13:33what the play is, I'm guessing, $25.
13:37Yeah, I'm good with this deal and bringing him in.
13:40And from the 713, they said, I think they're going to draft a guard now.
13:43Is that crazy?
13:44No, but also yes.
13:46And that sounds like riding the fence, but what I mean by that is, I still think, yes,
13:50they're going to draft some young cats to possibly come in and try and make this better over
13:55time also.
13:55Braden Smith, again, this is a two-year deal.
13:57Not to say that he's specifically going to be a guard or whatever, but this is a two-year
14:00deal.
14:01I think they're still looking at short-term answers for the starting offensive line with
14:06the possibility of developing guys into those roles.
14:09So I do still think that they draft that.
14:10But the way that they typically go about things and the way that I think smart teams go about
14:15things is answer the questions before you get to the draft so you're not having to chase.
14:19And they don't have an answer for left guard.
14:20And you're not tipping your hand as much either.
14:22I don't think you have an answer for left guard.
14:23Yeah.
14:24Right?
14:24Somebody said, we can't have a right tackle rotational approach, right?
14:27Agreed.
14:28The point being, them together is, if you have injuries, then you have another guy who
14:32you feel comfortable starting.
14:34That was more my approach, not, hey, you handle the first two drives and I got the next two
14:38and we'll roll through.
14:38That would drive us up a wall.
14:41They did that this past season.
14:43That's what I'm saying.
14:43They sure did.
14:44Can you imagine if they did that a second straight year?
14:46With tackle.
14:47That would drive us up a wall.
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