Further Improvement of the Offensive Line Should Still Be a Priority for the Texans
It got better from 2024 to 2025 but there's still room for improvement
The Houston Texans got better on the offensive line last season, but there is still work to be done.
The 2024 offensive line failed the team, creating a necessary overhaul, including other offensive changes, for the team. While it wasn’t always the smoothest journey, the offensive line was better. The entire organization deserves credit for changing an anchor that held the team down into a working piece of a playoff team.
Watching the Super Bowl, it’s clear the Texans still have a long way to go before they are where they need to be on the offensive line. Back-to-back Super Bowls saw offenses demolished when their offensive line couldn’t handle a four-man rush. The quarterback didn’t matter in that moment. The five guys blocking couldn’t get it together.
A couple of championship games aren’t all the evidence, but the better offensive line won each of those games. DeMeco Ryans preaches the trenches as a route to success. The Texans need to do everything remove worry about their abilities in the trenches on offense.
C.J. Stroud didn’t play well at the end of the season, but the offensive line stunk against New England as well. There was no push on the ground. They didn’t protect well. It was a disappointing end to a season on the upswing for the line.
There must be an emphasis on bettering the rushing attack. The Texans spent a large part of the season getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Adding running back talent will help, but the line must move people out of the way. They didn’t do that consistently enough in 2025. Of course, you can always protect the quarterback better.
Aireontae Ersery had a solid rookie season. He started a little slow, with tough opponents, but settled in nicely. I can confidently say Ersery would not have had the horrid performance fellow rookie left tackle Will Campbell had in the Super Bowl. The success at left tackle from Ersery is perhaps the greatest achievement for Nick Caserio and offensive line coach Cole Popovich from last season’s overhaul.
The team jettisoned Laremy Tunsil and used a second-round pick to replace him. Ersery isn’t Tunsil, but there should be confidence that the left tackle spot is locked up going forward.
Tytus Howard will fit into a spot on the offensive line. His versatility was on full display all season last year. The team seemed to plan to play him at guard, but he ended up at tackle when Blake Fisher failed to lock down the right tackle position. He settled into left guard when the line had its best moments. I would lean guard for Howard’s 2026 position, but his flexibility allows the Texans to explore multiple paths to improve the line.
Jake Andrews won the starting center job and never got close to relinquishing it. It was his first full season playing in the NFL. It produced mixed results. Most of the time, Andrews was enough for the offense. Caserio said he played the season injured, though Andrews wasn’t on the injury report much. While a spot for Ersery and Howard should be written in pen, I would pencil in Andrews.
Ed Ingram is a free agent. Ingram played well, but his track record isn’t lengthy. Guards with similar resumes got vastly overpaid in the past two offseasons. Spending more money on someone better than Ingram is preferable to overspending on Ingram. Trent Brown shouldn’t be a solution to the right tackle spot, but having him in the building wouldn’t be a bad idea.
