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The Houston Texans will eventually have to pay quarterback C.J. Stroud. On top of that, the draft didn’t go exactly as planned. Now, the Texans face the issue of whether their riskiest move of the 2025 NFL offseason will haunt them.
After a season where Stroud faced tons of pressure, the Texans didn’t improve their offensive line. And they may have taken a few steps backward.
Houston traded All-Pro left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders. They also sent former first-round guard Kenyon Green to the Eagles. Furthermore, the released guard Shaq Mason because of salary-cap issues. That's a lot of gamble on the offensive line being able to produce for a playoff-level team.
Where does the risky move leave the Texans’ 2025 offensive line?
Well, if you listen to Pro Football Network, the Texans enter the 2025 with the worst offensive line in football. Yep. The dreaded No. 32 spot for Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans to deal with, according to profootball network.com.
“It wasn’t a great season for the Houston Texans’ offense,” PFN wrote. “And the OL’s play is a big reason why. There weren’t any truly disastrous games, but Houston had seven games graded as a D+ or worse and 11 with a C- or worse. It’s hard to perform well consistently on offense with that level of line play.
“This line also struggled with the run game. They ranked 31st in RBYBC/rush (0.58) and RBWR. That makes some of Joe Mixon’s performances this season even more impressive than they first looked.”
The Texans' offensive line hope will have to come from the draft. They selected Aireontae Ersery in the second round. This came about thanks to a draft trade. And it Ersery should help, at least in the long term.
“Houston general manager Nick Caserio was wise to trade out of the first round, considering the lack of value at offensive tackle and receiver at No. 25,” Steve Muench wrote. “Now he gets one of the most promising offensive tackle prospects in this class with one of his five Day 2 picks. Ersery should push Tytus Howard and Blake Fisher for the starting right tackle job. If he wins it, Howard can kick inside. Ersery could also be Houston's left tackle of the future.”
So that’s a lot of hope. However, one guy won’t solve the overall issue. And, truthfully, Ersery is more of a long-term guy.
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And the Texans chose wide receivers in the second and third rounds. They went cornerback and running back with the next two picks. Then they grabbed a safety, quarterback, defensive tackle, and tight end.
Yep, they may have left Stroud high and dry. Last season, Stroud got sacked 52 times for over 400 yards — second only to Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Also, it proved to be far more than the 38 sacks he took in 2023.
Getting free-agent tackle Cam Robinson should help with the loss of Tunsil. But that’s a lot to expect from Robinson. And it’s a lot to expect from new offensive coordinator Nick Caley to mold a rag-tag unit into one that can help the Texans win football games, according to houstonchronicle.com.
“I think it all starts up front obviously and it’s really all 11 (players),” Caley said. “We all have to be in sync, and I think protection starts with communication, trust, and cohesiveness up front, and really having clear rules in the protection system. We’re going to be going through that process.
“With the offensive line, the quarterback, obviously the halfback, you got to be able to see the game through the same set of eyes. You got to be going in the same direction, and you got to be tied together. It really starts inside out, and it starts seeing it through the same lens. We all have to be coordinated in that.”
The Texans’ starting unit as of now has Jarrett Patterson at center with Tytus Howard and Juice Scruggs at the guard positions. Blake Fisher and Robinson man the tackle spots. Ersery currently stands on the second team at the left-tackle position behind Robinson. So at least there’s hope for the most important spot on the line. If Robinson can’t pass the test, the young Ersery would be an option to fill in for him.
And still, it comes down to the play of Stroud, who Caley said is capable of making lesser things better, according to houstonchronicle.com.
“(Stroud has) the it factor,” Caley said. “He’s a warrior in terms of his competitiveness, and I’ve admired him dating back to his college days. I’m really, really excited to have an opportunity to work with him.”
