Texans Have One Unanswered Question Before Training Camp

The Houston Texans front office entered this offseason with one prime focus to tackle on the offensive end: fix the offensive line by any means necessary.

After a season in which C.J. Stroud was ravaged under center as the NFL's second-most sacked quarterback, it makes sense why general manager Nick Caserio and the Texans were so keen on protecting their star passer this offseason. Stroud's the generator that makes this offense run, and keeping him protected in the pocket is vital.

Though in doing so, that meant the Texans made some tough decisions on the offensive line. Trading Laremy Tunsil, cutting Shaq Mason, and trading Kenyon Green were all a part of that batch of changes, giving this offensive line group an entirely different look for the 2025 season.

However, even with the adjustments in place, many around the league are still skeptical about what the Texans could have in store up front this season.

Bleacher Report's Alex Balentine is the latest to chime in on the Texans' concerns upfront, outlining the team's biggest question heading into training camp as: "Can the Offensive Line Come Together?"

"The offensive line was one of the biggest issues for the Houston Texans last season. They were 22nd in pass block win rate and 31st in run block win rate," Balentine wrote. "That was with Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason in the lineup. Both of those veterans are gone and PFF tabbed the Texans as the worst offensive line in the league in their preseason rankings."

"They have plenty of work to do to prove the outlet wrong. They added five veteran linemen and drafted Aireontae Ersery in the second round," he continued. "However, different doesn't necessarily mean better in this case. Cam Robinson is the most exciting free-agent addition, but there's a reason he's on his third team in two years.New offensive coordinator Nick Caley and offensive line coach Cole Popovich have their work cut out for them. With so many new additions, they will have options, but they'll be busy getting the unit to get on the right track in 2025."

It's a vastly new group for the Texans upfront, but still has a bit of upside that could inevitably lead to better production this season than last.

Cam Robinson and Trent Brown have proven to be serviceable starters previously in their career, Aireontae Ersery has a ton of upside as a long-term tackle option, and on the interior, there's several dart-throw investments on short-term deals that have the chance to pan out for Caserio and Co. in a big way.

The Texans' offensive line and new coordinator Nick Caley will have a lot of responsibility on their hands to get this protection right for Stroud's third season pro. And if they can, there's no reason Houston couldn't make their way to a third-straight AFC South title in the process.