Pro Football Focus Ranks the 32 Best Centers

There’s like 20% of Nick Caserio that I love. Doing things like releasing Nick Martin, turning Benardrick McKinney into a pass rusher, signing 27 linebackers, not because it’s a great idea or will make the Texans better, but because I love the commitment to the bit.

By releasing Martin, the Texans had an empty spot in their heart at center. Caserio filled it early in the offseason by signing Justin Britt. If you remember, Britt was the starting center for the Seattle Seahawks from 2016 to 2019. He hasn’t played in a year and a half. He’s the only real starting center option available for the Texans this season—until Caserio is able to add talent at the spot once cuts are made during training camp.

Despite his absence, Britt will fill this vacancy, and was on Pro Football Focus’s list of the 32 best centers in football. Here’s what they had to say:

25. Justin Britt, Houston Texans

At his peak during the 2016-17 seasons, Britt was a quality starting center. PFF WAR tagged him as the 12th-most valuable center in the NFL over that stretch, but we’re now three years removed from that peak. Britt earned overall grades of 60.8 and 62.0 during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, respectively, and he hasn’t played since Week 8 of 2019 due to injury. It’s bold to expect him to be even average when he returns healthy in Houston.

There are only 32 jobs available, so someone had to be on the list. With Britt scheduled to start at center, Pro Football Focus has him better than seven other expected starting centers.