While the rest of the NFL world slept, Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio was working hard to get ahead of the rest of the competition. Around 4:00 a.m., he took a giant step towards accomplishing that task.
According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, the Texans and standout guard Ed Ingram agreed on a three-year, $37.5 million contract, providing the team with their first true bite at the proverbial "apple" of interior offensive lineman available in free agency. It's a great deal for Caserio at $12.5 million APY, as initial projections of Ingram's value on a per year basis had him anywhere from $15-18$ million.
It's still a well-deserved reward for Ingram, as the former Minnesota Viking finally broke through in his fourth year to become one of the best guards in all of football last season.
The Texans secured one of the best guards in football in Ed Ingram
Initially coming over in a trade from the Vikings in March of last year, not many had sky-high expectations for the LSU product. He was seen as a flyer option at a time where Houston was trying to redeem itself from an abysmal 54-sack season in 2024, which was tied for third-worst in the NFL.
The Toro Times' own Mike Luciano gave his initial analysis of the acquisition at the time, stating,
"Ingram graded out as the 100th best guard in the league out of 135 qualified players in the eyes of Pro Football Focus. Ingram, who was replaced when the Vikings gave former Colts guard Will Fries a five-year contract, may need to reinvent himself in Houston."
Ingram must have heard Luciano's declaration, as Ingram's reinventing of himself in real time became one of the biggest surprises of the season.
Per Pro Football Focus (again), Ingram finished the campaign with an overall grade of 71.5, which was 18th best out of 81 guards. His run blocking was arguably his biggest strength, as his 75.6 mark was good for eighth-best in the league at the position. The rest of his stat line was as follows:
- Offensive snaps played: 929 [546 pass block, 383 run block] (33rd)
- Penalties: 3 (27th)
- Sacks allowed: 4 (67th)
- Quarterback hits allowed: 4 (49th)
- Pressures allowed: 24 (39th)
It was inarguably the greatest stretch of football in his career, which was a vital contribution to Houston' 10-game win streak (nine to end regular season, one in playoffs). Additionally, his play helped Houston's offensive line rebound from a cataclysmic 52 sacks of C.J. Stroud last year, to a respectable mark of 23 this season. This is what made him re-signing in Houston such a win, as all signs pointed to him pricing himself out of the franchise for 2026.
Texans get a great deal in an exploding offensive line market
KPRC 2's Texans Insider Aaron Wilson reported five days ago that Ingram could cost the Texans anywhere from $15-$18 million on the open market if allowed to get there. It makes sense, as the rest of the league is also in the hunt for protectors along the line of scrimmage to stabilize their own offensive units.
Just Saturday, news broke of the Buffalo Bills re-signing Pro-Bowl center Connor McGovern to a four-year, $52 million contract ($13 million APY). Then yesterday, Texans analyst Jayson Braddock gave his own perspective of what this class of free agents could push for on new deals. In it, he grouped up guards Zion Johnson, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Dylan Parham and Ingram as being in play to make close to the $18 million mark.
The fact that Ingram agreed to less than projected market value is a testament to to kind of relationship he has with the organization, as well as the connections that he's built with his teammates and offensive line coach Cole Popovich.
It's already a great start for Caserio and co. on the official first day of NFL "official tampering".
Let's see what other moves they have up their sleeves.