Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud did not have a great sophomore campaign this past season, and that was due much in part to the Texans being unable to protect him.
Houston had one of the worst offensive lines in football in 2024, and to make matters worse, the Texans just traded their best offensive lineman in Laremy Tunsil.
This has Judy Battista of NFL.com puzzled, and it led to her labeling Stroud one of the biggest losers of free agency thus far.
"The Houston Texans' offensive line was already among the worst in the NFL in 2024, and that was before they agreed to trade five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders on Monday, one of the stunners of early free agency," Battista wrote. "Stroud was sacked 52 times last season and under considerable pressure most of the time, contributing significantly to his sophomore struggles."
Now, in Houston's defense, moving Tunsil opened up nearly $14 million in cap space this offseason and nearly $43 million in available money over the next two years overall. That isn't exactly chump change, and Tunsil is now on the wrong side of 30.
Plus, the Texans entered free agency with very limited financial flexibility, so there really wasn't much they could do in terms of supplying Stroud with more help.
You can certainly blame the front office for its poor salary cap situation, but sometimes, that's the cost you pay for trying to contend.
Hopefully, Houston is able to right the ship in the NFL Draft next month.
