Houston Texans Have One Final Offseason Priority to Handle

Despite coming off a season finishing with a second-straight divisional win in the AFC South and a playoff victory to follow, the Houston Texans made a few interesting shakeups to the roster this offseason, giving this group a few different qualities than years past, but also a new sense of optimism for the year ahead.

The biggest shifts in Houston this offseason, though, inevitably center upon the offensive line and the several adjustments enforced by the front office. Both on the outside and interior, the Texans made considerable additions and subtractions (including a deal to send off an All-Pro talent in Laremy Tunsil) that can hopefully provide C.J. Stroud a better chance of survival than 2024, and with it, tilt this offense back in the right direction from a year ago.

But even with the Texans making those major changes upfront, in the eyes of NFL.com's Kevin Patra, it still leaves Houston with one huge priority to solve: Pick a starting five on the offensive line.

"GM Nick Caserio churned through the offensive line, trading away his best blocker, Laremy Tunsil, and moving on from some disappointments this offseason," Patra wrote. "The depth is certainly better than last year. Now, it's up to the coaching staff to decide on the best mixture. Cam Robinson is a fine veteran left tackle but he’s also penalty-prone. Ed Ingram bottomed out in Minnesota, but perhaps a change of scenery could be good for him. Laken Tomlinson is a trusty vet who can stay healthy, but there isn't much upside. What role will second-rounder Aireontae Ersery play? We know that it takes time for offensive lines to jell. The longer they play together, the better. With so many new faces, it's on head coach DeMeco Ryans, offensive coordinator Nick Caley and the rest of the staff to establish the starting five and let them grow together."

It won't be a perfect product on day one upfront for Houston, and could even be an aspect of the roster that takes weeks to navigate their way to becoming a fully-established and consistent unit of protection, but the first step is finding the correct combination for that outcome.

And for the Texans brass, that's a call that won't be made for some time. OTAs are finally off and rolling, but until the pads come on, training camp gets in full swing, and the competition raises to another level in the building, then you can start to see how the five guys upfront will finalize. Yet, until late July hits, it's largely a waiting game for how Houston depth chart develops.

If the Texans and first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley can lead the charge and find a five-man unit that meshes both well and somewhat quickly, Houston's offense should be in good hands for 2025, but time will tell if that can truly come to form next season.