HOUSTON – Once Texans center Juice Scruggs overcame a slow healing hamstring injury, he started establishing his presence at the line of scrimmage as a rookie.
The second-round draft pick and former Penn State standout started six of the final seven games as the replacement for injured left guard Tytus Howard.
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Scruggs is a natural center, and that’s where he likes to play. Scruggs has had a healthy offseason, a second year in offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s playbook and, now, he’s establishing himself as the guy who will start every offensive play with his snaps to Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Why center?
“I’d just say just being the leader of the O-line,” Scruggs said. “Just getting everybody on the same page, making the calls and just being in the center it’s just something about it. I’ll play any position, anywhere the team needs me, but definitely center is what I prefer, for sure.”
#Texans center Juice Scruggs on his comfort zone at that preferred position, and his communication with C.J. Stroud @JuiceScruggs @PrioritySports @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/AmTenYUwTs
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) July 26, 2024
Scruggs has worked diligently this offseason to prepare for this season, haunting the Texans’ weight room at NRG Stadium and is visibly bigger, stronger and more mobile.
“I’m happy and excited about Juice in his second year around,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Juice is doing a much better job of commanding the huddle. He’s doing a much better job of being a leader and we’re continuing to lean on him. Continuing to encourage him to continue to grow in that manor.
“Being the center, there is a lot on his plate when it comes to identifying formations, getting us in the right call versus the right looks and there is a lot on Juice’s plate, but he’s done a great job of handling everything we’ve thrown at him and it’s just a matter of him continuing to improve and continuing to do his best job of communicating.”
Scruggs, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound lineman who had two holding penalties and one false start as a rookie, grew more and more comfortable once he was activated from injured reserve. His first game stepping in for Howard was a rough experience as he allowed three hurries against the Jacksonville Jaguars after Howard injured his knee and patellar tendon. Against the Denver Broncos, Scruggs allowed just one hurry.
“Definitely a lot different, for sure,” Scruggs said. “Just last year dealing with the combine, pro day and all of that good stuff, it’s definitely been a lot different. I’ve been able to just focus on football and, like you said, even now, I can just focus on center. So, it’s been very good just coming in, honing on that and just knowing that it wasn’t like last year, for sure.”
While the second-round draft pick was in college, Scruggs was involved in a serious car accident.
Four years ago, Scruggs fractured his L3 vertebrae and suffered a concussion. He was in a back brace for eight months and missed the entire season. He battled his way back and got back on the field against Maryland in 2020, nearly two years after the crash and appeared in seven games as a reserve. By 2021, Scruggs was a 13-game starter and an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection.
Since that injury sustained by Howard, Scruggs became a starter, including playoff games against the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. He lined up next to Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and provided a reliable presence on the left side of the line.
Selected to the East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game, Scruggs was acquired after the Texans traded back into the second round to select him 62nd overall following a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles as they sent them their 65th, 188th and 230th overall selections to acquire Scruggs.
Officially named Frederick Henry, Scruggs got his nickname as a child who didn’t like to drink milk. Born in Ashtabula, Ohio before attending high school at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pennsylvania, Scruggs emerged as a blue-chip recruit and state Lineman of the Year who chose the Nittany Lions over LSU, Ohio State and Michigan
The Texans chose him to upgrade center position, but he wound up at guard. Although Scruggs, a team captain and third-team All-Big Ten Conference selection has played guard, the Texans viewed him more as a center. The Texans drafted Scruggs after two centers were selected ahead of Scruggs with the New York Jets picking Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann and the New York Giants selected Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz.
His approach to football: “Being nasty. Just coming off the ball and having that mindset, just being nasty.”
Scruggs yielded zero sacks or pressures in a 45-15 AFC wild-card playoff win over the Cleveland Browns. He was activated from injured reserve in November.
“Yeah, definitely had to go back to the basics,” Scruggs said. “Just start all over. And, now, just picking up on little things that I wasn’t seeing last year and just getting better each day.”
And Scruggs and Stroud are developing their rapport and timing as they work on the exchange, line calls, audibles and the all-important snap.
“Yeah, we were building on that last year, for sure and it got interrupted by my injury,” Scruggs said. “But even just me coming back at left guard, we still were establishing that relationship and just going into this offseason, we just started clicking, just trying to knock the rust off and trying to get that chemistry back down and that’s what training camp is for. For us to get established and for me and him to be on the same page and we’re getting there for sure.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com