C.J. Stroud was sacked 52 times in the regular season and 11 in the postseason. Eight of those playoff sacks came in the Houston Texans Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
It was apparent the starting offensive linemen for the Texans weren't up to the task. That's why general manager Nick Caserio has been hard at work overhauling the unit.
Houston made some needed changes, such as trading away Kenyon Green and releasing Shaq Mason. They also made a major gamble when they moved on from Laremy Tunsil. Their additions thus far haven't been wildly overwhelming either with Ed Ingram and Laken Tomlinson coming to Houston.
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That's why NFL.com's Kevin Patra is calling their offseason moves risky. While identifying the best and riskiest moves to kick off the 2025 offseason, Patra says the Texans still have a lot of questions.
"Starting from bare bones, however, comes with inherent risk. The only move Houston has actually made to bolster the unit was inking Laken Tomlinson to a low-cost deal. Tomlinson is on the clear downslope of his career but has consistently been available to play 1,000-plus snaps each of the past eight years. He's better than what the Texans had at guard last year. However, he's far from a stable answer." — Patra, NFL.com
He goes on to ask whether Tytus Howard will play guard or tackle. Also, he questions if Blake Fisher can improve at right tackle — because he didn't stand out as a starting-caliber player during his rookie campaign.
Patra did say the moves don't make them worse than a year ago, but only because that wouldn't be possible. He still thinks their inability to sign a sure-fire starter in free agency could be a problem as they aim to protect Stroud more this season. If they're right, they could have a resurgence in 2025. If not, it will be another long year for Stroud.