Texans' chances to upgrade OL in free agency take a massive hit after Bills snag Pro-Bowler

The Houston Texans made it well known during NFL Combine week that upgrading their offensive line was one of their main focuses heading into free agency. Specifically, at the center position that currently is occupied by third-year player Jake Andrews. The numbers prove that this should be the direction taken, as ESPN's Aaron Schatz wrote in late February,

"Incumbent Jake Andrews ranked last among qualifying centers with a 92.4% pass block win rate, so this is a position where the Texans need to take a big swing."

Unfortunately, yesterday afternoon, one of the biggest names left in the market for offensive linemen got snatched up by a perennial Super Bowl threat in the AFC.

According to multiple reports, Pro-Bowl center Connor McGovern will continue to protect MVP quarterback Josh Allen in Buffalo, New York after re-signing with the team on a four-year, $52 million deal ($32 million guaranteed). At $13 million APY, McGovern's contract is seen as a pretty solid deal for a team not looking to break the bank at the position this offseason. This especially true considering fellow protector Tyler Linderbaum reportedly could command anywhere from $22-$24 million per year in the open market.

This development pours cold water on the ideations of those who believed that McGovern would've been a target for the Texans when the NFL's legal tampering window opened up on Monday. With him now spoken for, that leaves only one more notable option at center for Houston to pursue in free agency. That would be soon-to-be free agent Cade Mays, originally of the Carolina Panthers.

The Texans' last chance to make a switch may hinge on C Cade Mays

McGovern joined recent Los Angeles Chargers signee Tyler Biadasz on the short list of centers to agree to multi-year deals before talking with a litany of other interested teams. In doing so, that only leaves Mays as the most notable free agent center available for hire prior to Monday.

In 726 snaps played across 12 starts, Mays allowed zero sacks, three quarterback hits, 11 pressures and only two penalties. Compare that to Andrews' 1,093 snaps across 16 starts, where he allowed one sack, three quarterback hits, 14 pressures and six penalties. In total, Mays graded out with 62.4 Pro Football Focus mark (24th/40 centers), while Andrew finished with a 61.6 (26th/40 centers).

Some of the statistics may seem marginal, but Mays is regarded as being the better of the two options, and his price tag is currently projected to be around $12.2 million according to Spotrac (less than McGovern). While general manager Nick Caserio was very complimentary of Andrews' contributions during the season, he also made it clear that his play wouldn't limit the team from making improvements if the opportunity presented itself.

Texans may have to just ride with Andrews in 2026 if all else fails

If another teams ends up with Mays, then Houston will have no choice but to strongly consider running it back with Andrews as the main man in the middle for the forseeable future. However, some don't think of that as the "doom and gloom" scenario that others do.

Texans analyst, and X user, @TexansJacob expressed his thoughts on Andrews keeping the starting job at center if necessary by stating,

"I expect Houston to try and upgrade at center in free agency, but if the money isn’t right I don’t necessarily think Jake Andrews starting plus a rookie is a bad center room. Andrews came into 2025 as a 25 year old lineman with 0 NFL regular season snaps at center and improved as the season went along. If HOU decides to invest in OG instead I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that thought process."

NFL free agency is a very fluid occurrence, but one that Caserio and co. seemed unafraid to attack vigorously. If they indeed want to take a chance on improving the quality of their center play, Mays looks like he's in line to be Houston's main (and possibly only) target.