The Houston Texans had an eventful Monday morning in the final week before NFL free agency’s opening day on March 11th. On it, they jettisoned both starting right tackle/guard Tytus Howard and center Juice Scruggs in separate trades with the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions respectively (Howard to the Browns, Scruggs to the Lions).
It all culminated with the explosive acquisition of 28-year old running back David Montgomery from the Lions in exchange for the aforementioned Scruggs, a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick. It was a polarizing move, as fans and local media were divided over aspects like cost, Montgomery’s age and scheme fit.
Regardless, general manager Nick Caserio has Houston’s feature back in the fold after the transaction. The question that's now on the minds of skeptical onlookers is, “Now what?”
After the Montgomery trade, the Texans' next move absolutely must come by way of an addition to their offensive line.
The Houston Texans desperately need to improve their offensive line
What didn’t get lost in the trade was the reality that the Texans are now without two more offensive lineman in an offseason where they were already bereft of impact linemen to begin with.
Howard was a starter since his debut in 2019, and Scruggs was a dependable depth piece that was taken with a second-round pick in 2023. Outside of those two, the Texans only have names like second-year left tackle Aireontae Ersery and center Jake Andrews left over who have actually competed for and won reps as consistent starters in Houston (Guard Ed Ingram and tackle Trent Brown are no longer under contact).
This is why maximizing the opportunity to invest in the offensive line is the only reasonable next step for Caserio and co. to plan for, considering they still need bodies to block for quarterback C.J. Stroud and the newly acquired Montgomery. Without that, moves like Monday’s trade are rendered foolish in hindsight, and would definitely lead to further scrutiny about Caserio’s long-term viability as lead executive of the franchise’s personnel department.
Thankfully, the Texans have several quality options in free agency and the draft.
The Texans have their pick of premium offensive linemen in free agency
For starters, Houston has already been linked to names like Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays and Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith. Both are sub-30 years old with multiple years of starting service. Their roles in helping stabilize their respective lines in both Carolina (13th in sacks, 35) and Indianapolis (8th in sacks, 29) make them prime candidates for employment in Houston. The only hurdles would be the price tags for each, with Mays projected at $12.3 APY and Smith at $13.5 APY.
If those don’t pan out, Jared Koch of SI.com laid out other alternatives for Houston’s consideration. He expressed that "Joel Bitonio of the Cleveland Browns could be worth a look" at left guard, as well as "Zion Johnson of the LA Chargers.”
The NFL Draft can supply the Texans with young playmakers
That brings Houston to their next pool of talent: Incoming college prospects.
Cheaper labor can and will be found in April, as the Texans will still have four selections in the top-100 of available players when the NFL draft begins.
Specifically, names like Monroe Freeling (Georgia) and Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) should be firmly on Caserio’s radar in a month’s time, considering NFL Draft experts like Mel Kiper Jr. and Daniel Jeremiah have already mocked each of them to Houston amidst their own analysis.
The only concern with the draft approach is Caserio’s track record of selecting offensive linemen in the early rounds. He currently sports a 25% “hit rate” (¼) over his last four seasons with identifying and selecting effective offensive line prospects within the first two rounds. This has created speculation surrounding his process of how to select players in those positions coming out of college.
So far, Ersery (2025) is the only true starting success story to Caserio’s credit since 2022. Kenyon Green (Guard, first-round, 2022) has been traded, Juice Scruggs (Center, second-round, 2023) was traded yesterday and Blake Fisher (Tackle, second-round, 2024) is just a depth swing tackle at the moment.
If Caserio and the Texans can grow from past mistakes and truly find game changing value with their draft capital, they have a chance to field a high-quality unit piloted by a young core for years to come.