Just two days after setting the 53-man roster, the Houston Texans have to move people around. In a press conference on Tuesday, general manager Nick Caserio said offensive tackles Sam Hagen and Braden Smith are being placed on IR. Both players will now miss a minimum of four regular season games.
Hagen was arguably one of the best finds of the offseason, as the South Dakota State product impressed enough to move up to No. 2 on the Texans' depth chart at right tackle. Unfortunately, he'll have to wait at least four weeks to suit up.
Smith was carted off the field during practice last week, but it was reported he avoided a long-term injury. That still seems to be true, as he was placed on the short-term IR alongside Hagen.
What it means for the Texans to lose OTs Sam Hagen and Braden Smith
The Texans are returning tight end Brevin Jordan and defensive end Dominique Robinson to fill the gaps on the roster, according to Caserio. Hagen and Smith are both listed as RTs, so either Blake Fisher will be backup tackle on both sides, or third string LT Nate Thomas will move to the other side.
Losing Hagen means his development will be delayed as long as he's out, but it shouldn't affect the offense as a whole aside from depth. The only reason it would come into play is if the starting right tackle, Trent Brown, went down with injury.
The Texans are looking to have an improved offensive line in 2026, as they spent a first round pick (No. 26 overall) on former Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge. According to reports, Rutledge is already making his presence felt.
Like almost everything in football, a successful offense starts in the trenches. In 2025, the Texans had a 34% success rate on designed runs, which was only ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders (30.5%), per NFL NextGen Stats. With the addition of Rutledge, as well as the signing of tackle Trent Brown and guards Ed Ingram and Wyatt Teller, Houston should be much more respectable up front on offense.
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