Juice Scruggs

OL Notes: Bolles, Chiefs, 49ers, Texans, Jags

December 15th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

For a second time, the Broncos allowed Garett Bolles to play deep into a contract year before extending him. After the sides previously reached an extension agreement in November 2020, Bolles inked his second Denver extension days before the team’s Week 15 game. Talks did not begin until recently. The sides did not begin to discuss a new deal — one Bolles had begun to lobby for back in 2023 — until after the Broncos’ win over the Browns, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. While Bolles held Myles Garrett without a sack, the Broncos’ upcoming bye week presumably had more to do with the timing of the negotiations.

Bolles is now the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid left tackle. Like recently extended edge rusher Jonathon Cooper, he may well have done better by reaching free agency. But Bolles wanted to stay with the team that drafted him back in 2017. The four-year, $82MM contract includes $23.7MM guaranteed at signing and features a similar guarantee structure to the one Mike McGlinchey secured. If Bolles is on Denver’s roster by Day 5 of the 2025 league year, his 2026 base salary becomes guaranteed, per OverTheCap. As the Broncos have part two of Russell Wilson‘s dead money due in 2025, they have predictably backloaded Bolles’ deal. This is a rather extreme effort, as five void years (through 2033) are attached to this deal. Bolles will count $5.8MM on Denver’s 2025 cap and just $9.2MM in 2026; the cap hits balloon past $20MM after that.

Here is the latest from the NFL’s O-line situations:

Unable to find a reliable left tackle since letting Orlando Brown Jr. leave in 2023, the Chiefs are going with an emergency plan today. With recent signee D.J. Humphries declared out due to a hamstring injury he sustained in his Kansas City debut, the Chiefs are kicking Joe Thuney to left tackle. The left guard saw time at LT against the Raiders, who were besting second-year blocker Wanya Morris. Rather than go with Morris, the Chiefs are using Thuney at LT and backup Mike Caliendo at LG, per ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher. This will cut into the Chiefs’ elite inside trio, but with the team seeing Patrick Mahomes hit with more frequency in recent weeks, it will use this patchwork adjustment to stem the tide. A 2023 UDFA, Caliendo is making his first career start.
On the same note, the Texans are making a change. Right tackle Tytus Howard is moving back to left guard, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. Both center Juice Scruggs and left guard Kenyon Green are out. As a result, Howard will return to the position he primarily played last season. Howard has shuffled between tackle and guard as a pro; prior to his 812-snap 2024 at RT, he played all 408 of his 2023 snaps at LG. Second-round pick Blake Fisher is in at RT.
Trent Williams‘ recovery from an ankle injury has proven “a lot” slower than the 49ers expected, Kyle Shanahan said (via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner). The team is not ruling him out for the rest of the season. That said, San Francisco is now 5-8; shelving the All-Pro the rest of the way would make sense. Williams, 36, secured significant guarantees via a September reworking. He has not indicated a 2025 return will commence, but his through-2026 contract contains enticements to come back.
The Bears should be likely to be shoppers to fortify their O-line’s interior in 2025, with the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs rating that area atop the team’s list of needs. Chicago whiffed on Nate Davis and devoted low-end money to center. Left guard Teven Jenkins is a free agent-to-be who has not engaged in substantive extension talks.
Like Bolles, Walker Little secured an extension recently. The Jaguars revealed their long-term left tackle plan, post-Cam Robinson, by signing Little to a three-year, $40.5MM extension. The first two years of Little’s deal are fully guaranteed, per OverTheCap. That comes out to $25.94MM. Although his 2027 salary is nonguaranteed, the 2021 second-rounder did well on the guarantee front as he bypasses free agency.

Texans S Jalen Pitre To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

December 11th, 2024 at 4:22pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Texans safety Jalen Pitre will undergo surgery to repair a partially-torn pectoral, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, ending his 2024 season and depriving Houston of one of their key defensive playmakers as they attempt to win the AFC South.

Pitre started the Texans’ first 12 games this season, but exited the game in Week 12 and did not play the following week. Though he avoided a full pectoral tear, the injury still required corrective surgery with a recovery period that will extend beyond the end of the 2024 season.

Pitre’s injury is a massive loss for the Texans’ defense. Though the 2022 second-round pick hasn’t matched his impressive rookie production of five interceptions and 147 total tackles in either of the last two seasons, he’s still a versatile and valuable playmaker from the slot and the box.

Veteran safety Jimmie Ward took over Pitre’s role in Weeks 12 and 13 and will likely remain there for the rest of the season.

The Texans will also be without the services of starting offensive lineman Juice Scruggs for at least two games, per Wilson. Scruggs injured his foot in Week 13 against the Jaguars, but is not expected to undergo surgery or be placed on injured reserve.

Scruggs began the year as Houston’s center before sliding to left guard to replace Kenyon Green when he landed on IR. Green was designated to return on Monday, so he could move back into his old spot with Scruggs now sidelined. Zachary Thomas also took snaps at left guard in practice this week, so he could start there if Green isn’t healthy enough to play in Week 15.

AFC South Rumors: Titans, Burks, Scruggs

June 7th, 2024 at 8:35pm CST by Ely Allen

The Titans seem confident in moving forward with second-year passer Will Levis as their starter under center. With Levis’ relative inexperience in the NFL, though, the backup quarterback job has become an important one.

In nine starts as a rookie, Levis struggled with a 3-6 record and only completed 58.4 percent of his passes. Not counting a Week 16 game in which he only saw the first two drives of the contest, Levis averaged 224 passing yards per game in an offense spearheaded by Derrick Henry. He showed considerable poise for a rookie, though, throwing eight touchdowns to only four interceptions and adding a rushing score to his total, as well.

So, despite Levis’ seemingly cemented status as QB1, the backup quarterback job will be a crucial one for the Titans in 2024, and new head coach Brian Callahan told the media that veteran Mason Rudolph and recent third-round pick Malik Willis will compete for the honor, per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. In two years with the team, Willis has seen limited usage with uninspiring results. Discounting garbage time or gadget play appearances here and there, Willis has made three starts, all coming in his rookie season. In those starts, Willis completed a combined 25 of his 49 pass attempts and didn’t once eclipse 100 passing yards as the offense was focused around Henry.

Rudolph saw his highest usage in 2019 with the Steelers, making eight starts in 10 games as an injury replacement for Ben Roethlisberger alongside Devlin Hodges. Despite going 5-4-1 as a starter while throwing 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions coming into 2022, Rudolph found himself seemingly out of consideration for the starting job as Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett combined for just 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. As those two continued to struggle to produce in 2023, Rudolph helped revive one of the league’s least efficient offenses as it circled the drain, rattling off three straight wins to help keep Mike Tomlin‘s streak of winning seasons alive before ultimately losing the team’s first-round playoff game.

Now, Rudolph and Willis will duke it out for backup duties behind Levis. If Levis struggles, Rudolph provides an ability to fill in as a proven starter. Willis will have a chance to show what he can provide, as well, as he continues to develop at the NFL level.

Here are a couple of other rumors coming out of the AFC South:

Staying in Nashville, Callahan stressed in an interview this week that wide receiver Treylon Burks will have to contribute on special teams in order to justify a roster spot this year, according to Easton Freeze of Broadway Sports Media. We profiled Burks recently as a trade candidate as the acquisitions of Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd pushed him further down the depth chart after a disappointing start for the former first-round selection out of Arkansas. While the Titans may not be willing to give up completely on Burks, they do recognize that his continued presence on the roster means he will need to find other ways to contribute if not on the starting offense.
Lastly, former second-round pick Juice Scruggs debuted late into his rookie season last year, starting at left guard for the Texans‘ final six games of the season after coming off injured reserve and replacing an injured Tytus Howard. Originally projected as an NFL center coming out of Penn State, Scruggs is expected to return to his natural position and start for Houston in 2024, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.

Texans Activate C Juice Scruggs From IR

November 25th, 2023 at 5:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 25: Finally, some good news for the Texans’ interior offensive line. After season-ending injuries to Quessenberry and Kenyon and Kendrick Green, and Patterson, the substitute starter at center, getting carted off with a broken fibula, nearly a month ago, Houston is finally getting some reinforcement. The team announced that they have officially activated Scruggs from injured reserve, allowing the second-round rookie to finally be available to potentially make his NFL debut. Whether or not he plays or starts has yet to be determined. He has only been back at practice since Wednesday and is trying to unseat the team’s fourth option at center, Dieter, who currently ranks as the NFL’s 23rd-best center, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

In order to make room for Scruggs on the active roster, the Texans have waived linebacker Garret Wallow. Wallow spent most of this year on the practice squad after being waived halfway through his rookie contract in the preseason. The former fifth-round pick started five games in his first two seasons but only made an appearance this year when he was promoted to the active roster a week ago. If he clears waivers, Wallow will almost certainly be retained on a practice squad contract.

Lastly, the Texans announced that cornerback Desmond King and wide receiver Steven Sims have been activated from the practice squad as standard gameday elevations for tomorrow’s divisional matchup against the Jaguars. King has appeared in three games this year for the Steelers after spending the past two seasons in Houston as a starter. The Texans brought him back to their p-squad this week. Sims was elevated last week and caught both his targets for 25 yards. Sims also took punt returner duties, fielding two for 16 yards.

NOVEMBER 22: Juice Scruggs has endured a long journey back from the hamstring injury he suffered during the preseason. The second-round Texans draftee has not yet made his NFL debut, despite his injury occurring in the team’s preseason finale.

The Texans have finally designated the Penn State product for return Wednesday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Scruggs, who was moving toward being the Texans’ starting center during training camp, now has three weeks to be activated from IR. No activation in that span will make this a true redshirt year for the high-end interior O-line prospect.

Making multiple trades for O-linemen in August, the Texans have also seen long-term injuries affect their front. Projected guard starter Kenyon Green is out for the season, and trade pickup Kendrick Green joins him on season-ending IR. The team’s primary center starter last season, Scott Quessenberry, suffered season-ending injuries — ACL and MCL tears — early during training camp. That paved the way for Scruggs, but his hamstring setback has thus far defined his rookie year.

The Texans will give the No. 62 overall pick a chance to change that soon. Houston has also dealt with center availability issues in-season. Jarrett Patterson started seven games this season, but the sixth-round rookie is on IR after being carted off the field in Week 8. Free agent pickup Michael Deiter resides as option 4 for the Texans; the ex-Dolphins third-rounder has started the past three games at center.

Houston has just two IR activations remaining this season. It stands to reason Scruggs will be given a shot to come back. Though, the 6-4 team is contending for a playoff spot. A key performer going down with a short-term injury now could still be brought back later this season, but the ascending team may need to keep players on the active roster in the event of multiweek injuries going forward. DeMeco Ryans‘ previous team ran into this issue, with the 49ers using all their IR activations during the 2022 regular season.

Scruggs has already needed to overcome obstacles to keep his career going. A 2019 car accident left his playing future in serious doubt. The 6-3, 315-pound blocker earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022, cementing his status as one of the top interior linemen in this year’s class.

Latest On Texans’ Offensive Line Injuries

September 28th, 2023 at 7:49pm CST by Ben Levine

The Texans have been dealing with a number of injuries on their offensive line, but the team is set to return a number of key players over the next few weeks. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, Tytus Howard is set to be activated from injured reserve before Week 5. Wilson also notes that center Juice Scruggs should return by Week 6 at the latest.

Howard broke his hand during training camp, leading to his placement on IR before Week 1. The offensive tackle has reportedly made great progress and should return to practice next week. Howard has been a mainstay on the Texans offensive line since he was selected in the first round of the 2019 draft, starting all 54 of his appearances. Pro Football Focus has generally graded him as an average-to-above average offensive tackle, with the site giving him particularly high marks for his pass-blocking ability.

Scruggs was expected to slide into the starting role when Scott Quessenberry went down with a torn ACL and MCL. However, the rookie second-round suffered a hamstring injury that required a stint on the injured reserve. Wilson notes that the lineman could return as early as next week against the Falcons.

Thanks to all the injuries, the Texans have been forced to rely on a number of backup linemen. Veteran George Fant has been thrust into the starting lineup with Howard sidelined, and rookie Jarrett Patterson has started all three games at center in place of Scruggs. Predictably, the results haven’t been pretty, as the Texans offensive line has allowed 11 sacks and has contributed to a league-worst 2.8 yards per carry.

Unfortunately for Houston, it’s going to get a bit tougher before it gets easier. Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil is set to miss another game while dealing with a knee injury, and potential fill-in Josh Jones won’t play in Week 4 thanks to a hand injury. As a result, the team is preparing practice-squad lineman Austin Deculus to be the starting LT on Sunday against the Steelers, per Wilson.

Texans Place G Kenyon Green On IR

September 3rd, 2023 at 10:37am CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 3: Kenyon Green and the Texans knew as early as May that Green may need surgery, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. It seems as if Houston wanted to see if its young blocker could play through the pain, and as Brandon Scott of Chron.com observes, Green was operating with the first team during the first two games of the preseason despite having his reps carefully managed in OTAs and training camp. Unfortunately, he aggravated the shoulder injury during the preseason finale, and it became clear he would need to be shut down.

“To his credit, he worked through it and I’d say did the best he could with the situation that he was given,” Caserio said. “In the end, we just felt for the betterment of the team and the player, that [surgery] was the best decision.”

AUGUST 29: Kenyon Green‘s injury will lead the Texans to take a drastic step. They placed the 2022 first-round pick on IR. This move will sideline the young guard for the season.

The Texans traded for Steelers interior O-lineman Kendrick Green earlier today, and they have center Juice Scruggs facing the possibility of a trip to in-season IR. That move would only knock out Scruggs for four games. By putting Kenyon Green on IR now, the Texans will lose him for the year.

This represents a tough blow to Kenyon Green‘s career and to the Texans’ O-line. A shoulder injury is one of multiple issues plaguing the Texas A&M product, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, adding that the second-year lineman will undergo shoulder surgery. Green has already undergone two knee surgeries since joining the Texans.

Although injury trouble hampered Green during his first training camp, the 22-year-old blocker still played in 15 games (14 starts) as a rookie. But the ex-Aggie’s season did not go well. Pro Football Focus graded Green as the worst full-time guard in 2022. This year would have been an opportunity for a quick bounce back for last year’s first guard selected, but Green will have to wait until 2024 to turn his career around.

Chosen 15th overall last year, Green earned consensus All-American honors for his work in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The Texans made major investments in their offensive front over the past two offseasons. Following their Green pick, they extended Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard and traded for Shaq Mason. The ex-Patriots and Buccaneers guard — acquired by New England during Nick Caserio‘s time with the team — also signed an extension this offseason.

The Texans then used a second-round pick on Scruggs, but it will be a while before Houston can deploy its preferred O-line. Scruggs’ hamstring strain is expected to keep him out two to four weeks. The Texans have acquired both Kendrick Green and Josh Jones via trade in the past week. Both could be put to work early.

It may be a bit before the team unveils an O-line configuration featuring even three of its starting five. Rehabbing a hand injury, Howard is not viewed as a lock to start the season on time. This run of setbacks comes as the Texans prepare to begin No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud‘s starter run.

Texans Place C Juice Scruggs, P Cameron Johnston On IR

August 31st, 2023 at 12:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans are now guaranteed to start the season without two starting offensive linemen. After suffering a hamstring strain in the preseason, second-round rookie Juice Scruggs landed on IR.

In place as Houston’s starting center, Scruggs will now miss at least four games. He joins Kenyon Green in being moved off the active roster due to injury. Green, the first guard chosen in 2022, is on season-ending IR due to multiple injuries. The Texans also placed punter Cameron Johnston on IR on Thursday. Like Scruggs, Johnston will be shut down for at least a month.

A calf injury will send Johnston to IR. The Texans signed punter Ty Zentner as an insurance option last week. These moves will allow the team to re-sign linebacker Cory Littleton and running back Mike Boone. Zentner resides on Houston’s practice squad, but this Johnston news could soon lead to a promotion. The Eagles signed Zentner as a UDFA in May but waived him earlier this month.

A Scruggs IR stint emerged as a possibility earlier this week, as matters have worsened for Houston’s O-line. The team is not certain to have right tackle Tytus Howard in the lineup. A hand injury has sidelined the recently extended blocker for weeks. Scott Quessenberry, who re-signed after serving as the Texans’ starting center for most of last season, sustained a season-ending injury weeks ago. Houston has since traded for Josh Jones and Kendrick Green, with recent free agency addition George Fant in place as Howard’s RT backup.

Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason are the only locks among Houston’s first-team O-linemen to be in uniform in Week 1 against the Ravens. For additional depth purposes, the Texans also brought back interior O-lineman Michael Deiter — a March signee who did not make the team — on a practice squad deal and added recent Bears O-line castoff Dieter Eiselen to their taxi squad.

Johnston has been with the Texans for the past two seasons, coming over after the Eagles waived him. The veteran punter is going into the final season of a three-year, $8MM deal. Philadelphia’s punter from 2018-20, Johnston had previously never missed a game as a pro.

Steelers To Trade Kendrick Green To Texans

August 29th, 2023 at 1:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans have been busy fortifying their offensive line this summer. After signing George Fant and trading for Josh Jones, Houston has another deal in place.

Kendrick Green will move from the Steelers to the Texans, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The Steelers have now shipped out two former starters this week, moving Kevin Dotson to the Rams on Sunday and now sending Green to the Texans. A former Steelers center starter, Green has been unable to impress in Pittsburgh.

Two years remain on the former third-round pick’s rookie contract. The Steelers have made several free agency moves along their O-line over the past two offseasons. These affected Green’s standing with the organization. He will now have another chance elsewhere. The Texans will send the Steelers a 2025 sixth-round pick for Green, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Enjoying a healthy season along their offensive front, the Steelers did not use Green at all in 2022. The team had inserted Green as its starting center during Ben Roethlisberger‘s finale, but the Illinois product struggled as a rookie. Pittsburgh then signed Mason Cole in 2022, demoting Green. The Steelers have tried Green at guard and even fullback — for a brief period during this year’s training camp — but are cutting bait.

Green will join a Texans team that has run into some injury trouble on its interior O-line. Center Scott Quessenberry landed on IR earlier this summer, while KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes second-round rookie Juice Scruggs suffered a strained hamstring against the Saints. Second-year guard Kenyon Green is also battling a shoulder injury, with Wilson adding the 2022 first-round pick is dealing with multiple maladies.

This helps explain the Kendrick Green move, but Kenyon Green’s issue may cost the latter regular-season time. The 2022 draftee will undergo an MRI to determine if an IR stint is necessary to start the season, per Wilson. The Texans are already without right tackle Tytus Howard, with Wilson adding the former first-round pick is not certain to be back for the team’s opener. Fant is in place at right tackle sans Howard, with Michael Deiter in place of Kenyon Green presently. Among Houston O-linemen, only Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason are firmly on track to start the season on time.

Texans OL Scott Quessenberry Suffers ACL, MCL Tears

August 3rd, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

After Justin Britt hit the reserve/NFI list last season, the Texans called on Scott Quessenberry to fill in at center. Quessenberry did, starting 16 games. The team will not be able to use the veteran as a stopgap center this season.

Quessenberry suffered ACL and MCL tears during a Texans practice, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports (on Twitter). The Texans had re-signed Quessenberry just before free agency this year.

This development may prevent the Texans from delaying second-round pick Juice Scruggs‘ starting lineup entrance. Scruggs had been working as the Texans’ second-team center thus far during training camp, but the Penn State product stands to be the next man up as a result of this Quessenberry setback.

Scott Quessenberry is the third Quessenberry brother to play for the Texans, following David and Paul. Scott, 28, is a sixth-year veteran who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers. Scruggs loomed as a clear candidate to usurp him this year, but even when that inevitably happened, the elder blocker would have represented depth. This deals a blow to the Texans in that department.

Houston does have another veteran option in the form of Michael Deiter. The former Dolphin has 57 appearances and 23 starts to his name, but he alternated between heavy usage and barely seeing the field on offense during his four years in Miami. Deiter played sparingly and only on special teams in 2022, meaning he is likely not a threat for Scruggs with respect to the latter seeing starter’s snaps from Day 1.

Plenty of time remains for the Texans’ incumbent interior O-line options to earn their roles over the remainder of the offseason, but a free agent addition could be possible as well. Houston currently has $13.3MM in cap space, meaning they could afford to take a flier on one of the few veterans still on the market with experience in the middle. In any event, the team will be shorthanded up front for the season while Quessenberry looks to rehab in advance of next year’s free agency.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Texans Sign Second-Round C Juice Scruggs

May 13th, 2023 at 9:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Texans have already signed their final four draft picks from this year’s class, but they have now come to terms with their second-rounder as well. Houston signed former Penn State center Juice Scruggs to his rookie deal, as noted by Aaron Wilson of KPCR2. The four-year contract is worth slightly more than $6MM.

Scruggs’ path to the NFL was a tumultuous one, with a 2019 car accident leaving his playing future in serious doubt. He recovered in full, though, and became a team captain with the Nittany Lions by the end of his college career. That completed a notable turnaround from a high-profile recruiting process coming out of high school in which he had a number of notable offers to choose from.

The 6-3, 315-pounder earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022, cementing his status as one of the top interior linemen in this year’s class. The Texans made a small trade up to No. 62 to select him, and he was the third center to hear his name called. While Scruggs has experience at guard, he is expected to primarily see time in the middle of Houston’s o-line.

That will allow him to immediately compete for a starting role. The Texans re-signed veteran Scott Quessenberry earlier in the offseason, but Scruggs could displace him as a first-teamer during training camp. If that were to take place, he would become the second consecutive interior blocker to see signficant playing time as a rookie in Houston. First-rounder Kenyon Green played 15 games at left guard last season, and represents a part of the team’s long-term plans up front.

The same is also true of Laremy Tunsil, of course. The Pro Bowl left tackle inked a three-year, $75MM extension in March, ensuring stability on the blindside for the rebuilding team. Tunsil, Green and Scruggs could form the left side of their offensive line for years to come if all goes according to plan.

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