Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio stands on the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Nick Caserio Says Texans Veteran Playing Best Football Yet

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 3:19 PM ET

The Houston Texans, in their past two showings, have proven to have taken some major jumps from how they started their season, ultimately leaping from an early 0-3 deficit to now elevating to 2-3 heading into their Week 6 bye.

Among those various improvements, the Texans have continued to see steps forward in their offensive line performance, specifically, the pass protection in front of quarterback C.J. Stroud, to really help this offense be at its best, and iron out their offensive line worries that plagued them before the season kicked off.

Week 5 was the strongest output yet from the Texans' offensive line. Houston kept Stroud clean on 80.0% of his throws and a season-low six pressures, showing some gradual overall improvement following a bit of disarray in the offensive trenches right off the bat through three weeks.

The biggest standout on the Texans' evolving offensive line might be the only starter who stayed on from last season, veteran Tytus Howard; Houston's current starting right tackle and best-graded pass blocker (73.5) through five games per PFF.

Howard's performance through five weeks even landed some significant praise from general manager Nick Caserio in his latest presser, giving special credit to the Texans veteran in the midst of giving a pat on the back to Houston's offensive line as a collective.

"They've improved," Caserio said of the offensive line. "Tytus [Howard] has played really good football. We haven't really talked about Tytus, but he's probably played as good of football as he has at any point in his career. So, a lot of credit to him and respect."

"I mean, he's literally played all four positions, other than center, and he's done a lot for the team."

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

In five starts, Howard's logged 299 total snaps, allowing just five pressures on the year and zero sacks, remaining as one of the more versatile, experienced, and consistent names the Texans are able to throw into their starting offensive front.

And so far this season, it seems staying committed to Howard, a slightly different approach from their flurry of other changes on the offensive front, has proven to be a sound decision in getting this protection up to par.

Moving deeper into the year, remaining strong upfront will be critical for the Texans. Those pass protection lapses started to rear their ugly head towards the latter half of last season that ultimately sunk the ship of Houston's offense in the end, and it's a trend that can't continue into their 2025 campaign.

But if the offensive line can continue to show consistent steps forward as they have through the past two weeks, Stroud's protection might be a bit more organized and effective than the consensus was led to believe.

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