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Texans' Aireontae Ersery Looks Primed for Breakout Season

Oct 5, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery (79) defends against Baltimore Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson (95) during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

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Texans' Aireontae Ersery Looks Primed for Breakout Season

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Apr 19, 2026 8:00 PM ET

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The Houston Texans have a few candidates on the roster for next season already looking to be in prime position to take a notable leap forward in their development.

And of those players who could have the chance at the biggest season-to-season jump, Texans’ second-year tackle Aireontae Ersery might be a premier name to look at as someone with the chops to make those aspired improvements.

Not only due to some of the own improvements he can make within his own game, but because of the collective improvements the Texans have made as a whole.

Aireontae Ersery Capturing Attention of Texans Veterans

While Ersery's jump for next season will rely a lot on the individual development the tackle puts together, the praise coming from around the building surrounding the type of talent Houston has in their second-year tackle does tend to add more confidence for what's ahead as well.

Veteran tackle Trent Brown recently had some eye-catching comments present regarding Ersery and his last season with the Texans, saying that the 2025 second-rounder was "the best rookie tackle" he's seen in a long time when discussing Houston's offensive line changes.

"We added more veteran presence into the room," Brown said on a podcast with Terron Armstead. "Wyatt Teller, huge addition. I think that addition along with what we have, and him playing aside probably the best rookie tackle I've seen in a long time since myself, Aireontae Ersery, bro."

"I'm a fan of that young fella. … I think you could expect to see (Ersery) really take another step in Year 2. Then we signed back Ed Ingram, had a huge year last year. I only expect him to get better, as well. I think we're really going to build upon last year."

It's not the first time that Brown has been avidly in Ersery's corner and it's easy to see why when taking a step back to look at their dynamic.

Both linemen have similar traits to one another as strong, physically imposing tackles that create a natural veteran bond for both Brown and Ersery to lean upon one another with, and it's clearly allowed for the decade-long veteran in the league to see a ton of positives in the tackle's development.

Ersery fits the bill physically for what you want in a young left tackle. He stands 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, who gradually improved over the course of his rookie season, even while he might not have graded the best in PFF's terms (58.9 overall season grade).

Having an entire offseason to improve as a starting tackle, though, does bode well in Ersery's favor, as does the Texans improving the entire line around him throughout the offseason.

Texans' Offensive Line Upgrades Will Help Aireontae Ersery

Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Adding that extra talent upfront inevitably takes some of the weight off his shoulders when it comes to holding down tough opposing defensive lines, which wasn't quite as steady this past season.

Bringing in Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith to fill in as two veteran starters both next to him at guard, and at the other tackle position helps the bottom line when focusing on the individual effectiveness of Ersery. Re-signing Ed Ingram, and potentially bringing in more competition at center in the drafthelps that stability even further.

With all of those factors coming into place, the stage is set for Ersery to have a big-time year two with Houston, in which he can take immense steps forward as a quality NFL tackle, both by improving his penalty and sack numbers that clouded his rookie season.

If he can check off both boxes, that'll pay massive dividends for both Stroud and the entire Texans offense, and thus make his selection at the end of last year's second round look like another wise decision within general manager Nick Caserio's tenure in Houston.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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