In 2024, Stroud, the 2023 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year, was sacked 52 times, 14 more than in 2023. The offensive line’s struggles played a major role in preventing the Texans from building on their surprising AFC South title the previous season, as they finished with the same 10-7 record and were once again eliminated in the divisional round.
Houston overhauled the unit during the offseason, releasing right guard Shaq Mason, who played 999 snaps in 16 games last season, and allowing backup guard Kendrick Green, acquired in a 2023 trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, to leave in free agency.
The Texans dealt guard Kenyon Green (along with a 2026 fifth-round pick) to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 sixth-round pick and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They also packaged left tackle Laremy Tunsil with a 2025 fourth-rounder in a trade with the Washington Commanders for draft capital: 2025 third- and seventh-round picks and 2026 second and fourth-round picks.
Houston signed left tackle Cam Robinson, right tackle Trenton Brown and guard Laken Tomlinson to one-year deals during free agency and agreed to a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for guard Ed Ingram.
As ESPN.com’s DJ Bien-Aime noted in March, Tomlinson’s 9.1 percent pressure rate ranked sixth-highest among left guards with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps in 2024. The Vikings benched Ingram in Week 11 after he conceded a troubling 10 percent pressure rate.
Brown’s 2024 season ended in Week 3 after the 10-year veteran suffered a torn patellar tendon, while Robinson allowed a career-high 64 pressures, splitting time between the Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars. (h/t Pro Football Reference)
The Texans’ offensive line doesn’t look much better on paper. Coupled with Stroud’s shoulder soreness, it could be a recipe for disaster.
While Stroud has three months to allow his shoulder to heal, he could be more likely to suffer a setback with every hit he takes during the regular season.
Considering the state of Houston’s offensive line, it’s too early to sound the alarm.
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