CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 11: T.J. Yates #13 and Derek Newton #75 of the Houston Texans celebrates after Yates threw a toucdown pass with two seconds remaining in the Texans 20-19 win over the Cincinnati Bengals during the NFL game at Paul Brown Stadium on December 11, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Derek Newton will start at right tackle for the Houston Texans in 2012.
With only a scant couple of weeks remaining before the NFL finally starts the regular season, position battles all over the league are starting to get tightened up and finalized as cuts continue to be made. The Houston Texans settled the question of their right tackle position when they named Derek Newton their starter.
Newton will take the spot away from incumbent RT Rashad Butler, and Texans blog Battle Red Blog thinks it makes perfect sense to play the younger Newton over Butler:
Starting Newton makes sense from a couple of different angles. Butler, the 29-year-old veteran, is in the last year of his contract. You know what you will get from Butler as opposed to the 24-year-old Newton, who has a few more years left on his rookie deal. Newton has yet to hit his ceiling and will improve as he continues to adjust to NFL speed.
Gary Kubiak has reportedly said that they will not be platooning the two players and Newton will be the outright starter from day one onward.
For more on the Houston Texans, head over to Battle Red Blog. More news and analysis on the NFL as the regular season approaches can be found over at SB Nation's NFL hub as well as on SB Nation's YouTube Channel:
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