Texans OL Marcus Cannon has minor knee surgery

Texans tackle Marcus Cannon underwent minor knee surgery following the team’s OTAs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Fortunately, Cannon’s already on the mend, and he’s expected to be ready in time for training camp.

New Texans GM Nick Caserio traded for Cannon in March, bringing a familiar face to Houston. The deal saw the Texans and Patriots swap draft positions in the fourth round, fifth round and sixth round, a reasonable sacrifice for an experienced starter.

Cannon has appeared in 115 games over the course of his career, including 69 starts, mostly at right tackle. The Texans are planning to slot him at right guard with Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard manning the outside. Tackles are typically pricier than guards, but Cannon is owed just $4.7M over the next two seasons, so his salary isn’t prohibitive for an interior lineman.

Cannon opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, but the Texans believe that the 33-year-old is in game shape or close enough to it. If his health proves to be an issue, they have recently signed ex-Packer Lane Taylor as insurance.