Texans’ Blake Fisher shows versatility in first two days of training camp

Pro Bowl player Laremy Tunsil has missed the first two days of Houston Texans training camp. There was some concern Thursday morning when Tunsil was not in attendance at the Houston Methodist Training Center. But despite his absence, coach DeMeco Ryans promised Tunsil would be ready for the start of the regular season.

Tunsil’s absence allowed the Texans to get a look at starting offensive lineman Blake Fisher. He played alongside the presumed starters in team games. Despite being a rookie who faced Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., Fisher held his own against his established peers.

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“As far as Laremy (Tunsil), we have guys that are going to be on different schedules throughout camp, so there are going to be guys you don’t see out there,” Ryans said. “But everybody is on track for the season opener. That’s what it’s all about, getting guys ready to play when we throw the season opener.”

“With Blake, I saw a guy who was versatile. If you can play left and right, it helps, especially if you’re our third tackle. You never know what can happen on game day, like you saw with our offensive line last year.”

The Texans made a surprising move on day two of the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting Fisher with their 59th pick.

Fisher established himself as a second-round prospect during his three-year career with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He appeared in 13 games during the 2023 college season, posting an overall grade of 72.3 over 13 games for Notre Dame, according to Pro Football Focus. He finished the season with a pass-blocking grade of 72.5.

Fisher’s selection was surprising, given that the Texans have two veterans on offense in Tunsil and Tytus Howard. However, Houston’s choice of Fisher was more about insurance reasons.

Injuries during the 2023 season hampered the Texans’ offensive line. Howard missed all but seven games with a season-ending knee injury in November. Although Tunsil recorded his fourth Pro Bowl selection in five seasons, the veteran offensive lineman played through his knee injury. He underwent minor surgery in the offseason.

If Howard and Tunsil are healthy, Fisher will spend most of his first year learning the game at the professional level as a backup. However, the first two days of training camp have proven that the Texans have a solid contingency plan if Fisher is needed in 2024.

“We had a lot of players at different positions,” Ryans said. “For Blake to have that versatility and be able to play on the right side and also move to the left is only going to strengthen our offensive line group and it’s only going to help our team with what he’s been able to do.”

READ MORE: Blake Fisher delivers ‘dominant’ play in reunion with college teammate

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Follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24.

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