The Houston Texans’ tumultuous 2024 campaign is now officially in the books. With the 2025 NFL offseason fast approaching, Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans must address a blatant weakness in the Texans’ offensive line.
Entering the year, the Texans had legitimate Super Bowl aspirations following the acquisitions of Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon and Azeez Al-Shaair. However, despite winning the lackluster NFC South, they fell miles short of preseason expectations.
Injuries were a clear obstacle for Houston throughout the year, as the Texans played just five of their 19 games with their full offensive arsenal. Regardless, the team’s biggest issue remained up front. Offensive line coach Chris Strausser’s unit could not provide an ounce of protection for second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud all year long, consistently lowering the offense’s ceiling.
With their focus now on the offseason, the Texans need to address their glaring offensive line issue by any means possible.
Texans offensive line struggled in 2024
While acquiring star weapons in the 2024 offseason, the offensive line was an area Houston clearly overlooked. That decision came back to bite Caserio nearly every week.
Stroud absorbed 52 sacks in 2024, the second-most in the league. Only Chicago Bears rookie Caleb Williams, who notoriously hangs out in the pocket, absorbed more sacks on the year with 68.
The advanced stats make the numbers even worse for Stroud and the offensive line. Stroud was pressured on 27.2 percent of his dropbacks, the most in the league. His 68 hurries also led the league while absorbing 58 hits, the ninth-most. There are few quarterbacks who had less protection than Stroud in 2024.
Aside from star left tackle Laremy Tunsil, Strausser could not develop any consistency or chemistry with his front five. Veterans Shaq Mason and Tytus Howard were constantly moved around in a desperate attempt to solve the issues while their younger teammates struggled. Nothing ever seemed to work.
The biggest issues came after Strausser shifted Howard to guard. They were the most obvious in the playoffs when rookie Blake Fisher turned into a screen door at right tackle, giving Stroud barely a second to work with. If Howard survives the offseason, he needs to stay on the outside.
Only reserves Kendrick Green and Zach Thomas will be free agents in 2025. Barring roster moves, other members of the unit are slated to return. Caserio should not be able to live with that outcome.
Nick Caserio needs to address obvious offensive line issues in 2025 NFL offseason
While the Texans have clear work to do in the offseason, it will not come easily. After being aggressive in 2024, Caserio will have limited cap space over the summer.
However, Houston’s divisional-round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs gave the team the No. 25 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Given his limitations in free agency, the draft will be Caserio’s biggest asset in the 2025 NFL offseason. The Texans traded one of their picks to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for Diggs, giving them six selections in April.
All positions are of need, but the Texans need to prioritize guard more than tackle. While not ideal, they can live with Howard starting at right tackle opposite Tunsil. They cannot afford to keep Howard on the inside and leave Fisher on an island.
In their current position, Alabama guard Tyler Booker should be Caserio’s top draft prospect. Booker is widely seen as the No. 1 prospect in the position, with no other player firmly behind him. Booker is currently projected to go in the second round, but a good showing at the NFL Combine could push him up the board.
Draft aside, the Texans will still examine the free agency market, even on a budget. As with every offseason, several reasonably priced players will be available, including Nate Herbig, Kevin Zeitler, Dalton Risner, Will Hernandez, and others. Caserio must contact all of them.
If Houston wants to have any meaningful success in 2025, another year of subpar offensive line play cannot occur. Breaking the bank on high-profile offensive weapons means nothing without time to do anything with them.a
