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Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Texans' Offseason Faces Criticism in NFL Free Agency Rankings

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Mar 27, 2026 1:46 PM ET

For most, the Houston Texans' offseason has been viewed as a relatively productive one thus far.

Through the past three weeks, the Texans have remained busy when it comes to re-working their offensive line, strengthening their already-elite defense, and retaining their key free agents and expiring contracts in-house with new deals and extensions.

However, when surveying across the NFL landscape, not everyone is sold just yet on how the Texans' offseason moves could pan out into further success for the 2026 season.

ESPN's Zach Kram is one of the few critics to point out some potential flaws within the Texans' offseason as part of his recent free agency class rankings.

Despite adding multiple new starters, Houston was only ranked to have the NFL's 13th-best free agency, with Kram's biggest concern still falling upon how this offensive line can fully come together next season.

"The individual moves along the offensive line (even if I liked the number of moves made). It's good that the Texans continued hammering their line with options... But I still struggle to figure out how it all comes together," Kram wrote. "They've typically prioritized supersized tackles ... so is Smith -- an undersized tackle -- really moving to guard? How does he fit with Teller and Ingram, then?"

"Plus, this line is built for run blocking. Are Montgomery and Woody Marks capable of being the engine of a dominant rushing attack? The Texans are acknowledging and addressing the problem, but I still need to see it to believe it in Houston."

Is There Enough Juice on the Texans' Revamped Offensive Line?

Sure, the Texans' offensive line is bound to look noticeably different next season from where it started in Week One of the 2025 campaign.

Tytus Howard has since been shipped to the Cleveland Browns and replaced with Wyatt Teller at left guard. Braden Smith becomes the Texans' newest right tackle after nearly a decade with the Indianapolis Colts, and depending on how next month's draft shakes out, there's a chance a new rookie could enter the mix as a day one starter at center.

That's a lot of change to be had on any given offensive line after one offseason. And for the entire unit to come together in just one summer, perhaps it is fair for some to point out that aspired jump as being easier said than done.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

But, when factoring in Houston's glaring needs upfront entering the offseason, it's hard to really imagine the front office being able to upgrade their offensive line, with the tools they had at their disposal, better than what's been done so far.

While trading someone like Tytus Howard—a tenured veteran and versatile contributor upfront—does sting, the front office acted fast to plug the void he's now left with a couple of experienced and proven starting-caliber talents to enter the mix instead.

There are questions to be had about each Teller and Smith simply based on health and availability reasons.

But all things considered, both were two of the top veteran offensive linemen to hit the market not named Tyler Linderbaum, and happened to fall within the Texans' budget, thanks to some cap acrobatics from Nick Caserio and Co to restructure a few behemoth contracts.

Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Both names also signed onto contracts of just two years, meaning if things don't work out as expected, the Texans have few strings attached to cut ties and pivot in another direction.

It's a low-risk, high-reward endeavor for Houston to attack their biggest need of the offseason, making it a worthwhile investment to make on paper.

For any lingering concerns the Texans may have on their offensive front, the draft still lies a few weeks away to address them––one where they have four picks in the top 70––and ample opportunity to select one, or even multiple young names to add to their offensive line to further fill out their depth.

However, for now, the Texans' offensive line is certainly better than the state it was in this time last year, and still has room to get better before Week One kicks off.

With that in mind, it's hard to consider Houston's work upfront in free agency and throughout this NFL offseason as anything less than a success.

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

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