Texans fans are being warned not to get their hopes up about rebuilt offensive line

The Houston Texans have shown tremendous self awareness this offseason. After failing to protect promising quarterback CJ Stroud, Houston had a clear goal of rebuilding the offensive line this offseason. That goal seemed nonexistent when the Texans shockingly traded Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders, but the franchise got back on the right track with the moves that took place after that trade.

Houston signed Laken Tomlinson, Cam Robinson, and Trent Brown, traded for veteran Ed Ingram, and used its second-round pick on the promising Aireontae Ersery. While questions can be asked about each player, the Texans are clearly trying to build a strong unit.

Unfortunately, Houston’s fans are being warned not to get their hopes up yet. In a recent ESPN piece by Aaron Schatz, naming the biggest roster hole for all 32 teams following the draft, Schatz pointed to the guard position for the Texans.

"The Texans have plenty of guards, but are any of them good? The starting left guard will probably be Tytus Howard, a natural tackle who has been up-and-down when playing inside. Behind him is veteran Laken Tomlinson, who ranked 44th out of 64 ranked guards in pass block win rate (91.1%) last season in Seattle.

On the right side, there's Juice Scruggs, who is more of a center but did have a 93.0% pass block win rate at guard last season. Veteran Ed Ingram, who ranked 54th among guards in pass block win rate (89.8%) last season in Minnesota, is next up. The Texans have thrown a lot of bodies at this position, but how much better will they be compared with last season's debacle?"

Aaron Schatz (ESPN)

Guard named as the biggest roster hole for the Texans following the draft

The worst part about this assessment is that Schatz acknowledged Houston’s attempt to improve the guard spot. Unfortunately, he’s not convinced the team has the right guys on the roster. That could be true, or the Texans’ offensive line could prove everyone wrong.

If they can, this is a team that should be in contention for a Super Bowl. With an extremely concerning offensive line in 2024, and multiple injuries to key wideouts, Houston still advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs, and lost by nine points to the Kansas City Chiefs. With an elite defense returning, and a ton of talented young receivers joining the party, all it will take is a better-than-average offensive line for the Texans to be in the mix with the league’s top teams.