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What Nick Caserio Said About Texans' Offensive Line Competition

Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio walks on the field before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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What Nick Caserio Said About Texans' Offensive Line Competition

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jul 30, 2026 8:00 AM ET

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One of the main storylines that has faced the Houston Texans leading into training camp has centered around what their offensive line is going to look like after the adjustments they've made throughout the offseason.

And it's a fair question to ask. When it comes to the Texans' offensive line, there were trades, signings, and multiple draft selections made all in an effort to bring this unit a step forward from where they stood this time last year. On paper, the outlook looks a lot better.

But there's still a whole lot of competition that has to unfold in training camp before getting to a point of naming five starters and determining who will be the primary depth pieces to roll behind them on the 53-man roster.

According to Texans general manager Nick Caserio, that process will take a few weeks to truly iron out. And in the process, you'll be seeing several different five-man combinations in an effort to discover what the best setup is going to look like.

"Probably take a little bit of time here— a few weeks," Caserio said of the Texans' offensive line competition. "Because the reality is, the inside positions, you're going to have a lot of movement. You're going to have multiple players with their hands on the ball. You're going to have multiple players rotating at the guard spots."

"So it'll take a little bit of time. Probably wouldn't read too much into who lines up where the first day of training camp. It's gonna be an evolution. It's gonna be organic, and there's gonna be things that happen. A guy gets injured, something happens, we're gonna have to make an adjustment."

Caserio Says Left Tackle Will 'Probably' Be Aireontae Ersery

Really, Caserio left just about every spot on the offensive line open for competition in the coming weeks.

That is, except for one: that's their left tackle, which feels locked into being handed to Aireontae Ersery, as he heads into his second pro year looking to bounce back from an up-and-down rookie season.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Everywhere else, all bets are off. Maybe Ed Ingram is a strong bet to fill in at right guard once again, but Caserio didn't explicitly note that as being the case. So who knows?

However, one spot on the offensive front that Caserio specifically mentioned was their right tackle position between their returning starter from 2025, Trent Brown, and their free agent signing from this offseason, Braden Smith, who's now back to practice after missing the offseason program as he was recovering from neck surgery.

"I'd say to a certain extent, probably be the same at tackle. [Aireontae Ersery], unless something happens, he's probably going to be left tackle," Caserio said. "I feel like we got pretty good competition there at right tackle: Trent and Braden Smith. And then, we have a number of players that we think we can that can help us inside."

The Timeline for Texans' Offensive Line Competition

As to when the Texans hope to have a plan figured out as it relates to their offensive line, Caserio seems to think that'll happen towards the middle or end of training camp, which would seem to land in the middle of August.

By then, the Texans will have a much clearer idea of what works, what doesn't, and how they plan to attack their first game of the season at home against the Buffalo Bills.

"So, at some point here, hopefully toward the middle, towards the end [of training camp], we have an idea of who the five are going to be," Caserio said. "But the reality is, probably going to need eight [players], and probably going to be a lot of players that rotate."

"So at some point, as we start to think about getting ready for Buffalo, there are some things that are going to be in place practice-wise... So hopefully, we have a group in place that we think we're going to be able to play with, you know, the first week against Buffalo."

Until that time comes and clarity forms, expect a ton of rotations and different five-man units upfront, all with the hope of finding better protection upfront from what the Texans have known through the past two seasons.

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

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