The Houston Texans held out Matt Kalil for Saturday night's preseason game against the Detroit Lions, but after the game coach Bill O'Brien still named him the starting left tackle for the regular season. Rodrick Johnson got the start on Saturday night raised some questions about if Kalil had lost the job.
O'Brien said after the game that Kalil didn't sit out the game with an injury, instead, they are just trying to manage his reps during the preseason.
Via Aaron Wilson in the Houston Chronicle:
“I didn’t want him to play,” O’Brien said. “He’ll play next week. Just managing reps throughout the preseason, that’s all that is.”
Kalil sat out all of last season because of injury but even when he has been healthy the last few seasons he still hasn't been great. After being released by the Carolina Panthers this spring the Texans signed Kalil to a one-year deal worth $7.5 million.
The Texans' offensive line has been a big issue the last few years and keeping Deshaun Watson upright this year is going to be a key.
By naming Kalil the starter the team has hopes that not only can he stay healthy but that he can also get back to some of the form that made him so good his first couple of years in the league with the Minnesota Vikings. If Kalil struggles this year or goes down with another injury there will have to be questions asked about if he has a future anymore in the NFL.
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