The Houston Texans have made a flurry of roster moves ahead of NFL free agency. Houston has restructured contracts in an effort to create more cap space before the new league year. The team just got a jump start on free agency by re-signing one player just before he hit the open market.
The Texans have agreed to terms on an extension with standout guard Ed Ingram to a three-year contract worth $37.5 million, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It includes $23.5 million in guarantees, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Ingram lands $12.5 million per season on his new contract, which puts him in the same neighborhood as Broncos guard Ben Powers ($13 million) and Jaguars guard Patrick Mekari ($12.5 million).
Houston made it a priority to re-sign Ingram before the NFL's legal tampering period, which opens at 12PM ET on Monday.
The Texans are in the middle of an extensive retrofit of their offensive line. Houston traded away Tytus Howard to Cleveland on March 2nd. They also sent Juice Scruggs to Detroit in a deal to acquire running back David Montgomery.
Ingram is not the only Texans offensive lineman to land a new deal before free agency. Houston agreed to terms on a one-year extension with veteran Trent Brown on March 5th. It is worth up to $7 million.
Now Houston can build their new-look offensive line around both Ingram and second-year left tackle Aireontae Ersery. Interior offensive linemen Jarrett Patterson and Jake Andrews are both under contract through 2026, just like Brown.
Protecting QB C.J. Stroud should be a major priority for the Texans this offseason.
It will be interesting to see how aggressively Houston addresses their offensive line over the next few months.
Houston has $31.33 million in cap space ahead of NFL free agency, which could put them in the market for another addition. The Texans may also be tempted to use the 28th overall pick in the draft on an offensive lineman.
