What will the Houston Texans’ offensive line look like in 2025? New offensive coordinator Nick Caley might have just pulled back the curtain a bit on that during the first day of organized team activities.
At one point, Cam Robinson started at left tackle, Laken Tomlinson at left guard, Jake Andrews at center, Tytus Howard at right guard and second-round pick Aireontae Ersery at right tackle. Then, Ersery would be flipped with 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher while he’d replace Robinson on the left side.
Juice Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson would flip reps with Tomlinson and Andrews, respectively, while Austin Deculus also saw some first-team reps on the right side.
While this isn’t the starting lineup heading into the season, it’s a baseline on what Caley has to work with after a turnover in talent last season. Entering Day 2 of camp, Caley is just trying to find the right combination of players and where they fit to enhance their craft eventually.
“It will be a lot of mixing and matching guys, putting guys in different spots, and seeing which five guys work well together,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “One thing about the O-line is that there’s a lot of smart guys in that room, and they can move around and play multiple spots, so that helps them.”
No one is promised a starting role going into the season. No one should be, either. Houston alllowed 54 sacks last season, in 52 against C.J. Stroud. Their 11 sacks in the postseason were the most by any team despite only playing in two games. And eight allowed in the divisional round was the most by any offensive line in a single postseason appearance in franchise history.
The Texans retooled their offensive line by parting ways with three starters from last year’s squad. Kenyon Green and Laremy Tunsil were traded to NFC East rosters while Shaq Mason was designated as a June 1 cut. Tomlinson and Robinson have been starters since entering the league, though their overall play has been underwhelming in recent years.
Ersery and Fisher are hopeful building blocks for the future. Both were top 60 selections coming of Minnesota and Notre Dame over the last two years and the Texans will give them ample time to learn the ins and outs of the offense before they decide to move off them in a different direction.
Andrews could be the biggest surprise addition, given his relationship with Popovich. Prior to joining the Texans, Pop worked for Troy as the team’s offensive line coach. Andrews started all 13 games, earning first-team All-Sun Belt honors under his watch.
The Texans will have six more practices before the start of mandatory minicamp beginning next month. By then, Caley should have a basis of a starting five in the trenches.