Texans, Browns named potential trade suitors for $8 million offensive lineman originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns are two teams that definitely need to get better along the offensive line.

Advertisement

The Texans have allowed 15 sacks already while the Browns have allowed 20. As a result, both teams have underperformed in 2025. The Texans are sitting at 2-4 while the Browns are down at 2-5.

Luckily for both teams, the trade deadline is coming soon and there should be some opportunities to add a quality lineman.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently identified landing spots for the biggest trade candidates, and Knox lists the Texans and Browns as realistic suitors for Jackson Powers-Johnson.

Powers-Johnson is a former second-round pick who has clearly fallen out of favor with the Las Vegas Raiders. For some reason, the team refused to play Powers-Johnson at his natural center spot and instead forced him to battle Alex Cappa at guard.

Advertisement

Powers-Johnson eventually claimed a starting guard spot, but the young lineman was again benched last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. As a result, the Raiders could be open to seeing what they could get for the lineman on the market.

Regarding a potential Powers-Johnson deal, Knox offered the following:

While his early 2025 campaign hasn’t made a positive impact on Powers-Johnson’s trade value, his draft pedigree, college production and rookie tape are hard to ignore.

He won the Remington Trophy in 2023 and started 14 games as a rookie.

While Powers-Johnson is a natural center, he has experience at both that position and guard. He’s shown flashes of potential, though inconsistently, in Las Vegas.

As Knox pointed out, Powers-Johnson can play either guard spot or center, and he’s shown plenty of flashes of being a solid player.

In Houston, the Texans have a need at both positions. Laken Tomlinson and Jake Andrews have both struggled in 2025, and it’s probably not safe to rely on Ed Ingram long-term at the other guard spot either.

Advertisement

Knox mentions either a 2026 fourth-round pick going to Vegas for the lineman, and the Texans would be able to meet that price.

In Cleveland, the Browns could stand to upgrade from Ethan Pocic at center. The veteran has already been dinged for two sacks and is set to enter free agency after the season.

Powers-Johnson is under contract through the 2027 season, so he wouldn’t be a rental. The Browns could trade for the Oregon product and end up with their starting center of the future.