I would hate going into the draft with such a huge desperation to draft OL. The rest of the league is going to know they have to jump the Texans if they want a specific guy on the offensive line. You can easily see a situation where the Texans package some of the picks from the Tunsil trade to move up to make sure they dont get jumped.
I get that it’s frustrating, but when else have we done that lately? Literally no one knew we were going Lassiter last year.. same for the stroud/Will Anderson draft.. everyone thought DLine wa our obvious pick last year but then we got Hunter.. let’s see what the team looks like before draft day
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6178324/2025/03/10/nfl-free-agent-tracker-rankings/ Mekhi Becton: probably looking to get paid; hope he’s Eagles Becton and not Jets Becton; as crazy as it sounds, they may move on since acquiring Green (as their next reclamation project). “Becton is a mauler in the run game, but he still has issues as a pass blocker: His 6.0 percent pressure rate allowed ranked 55th among guards (minimum 200 pass blocking snaps) in 2024. Given all of these dynamics (and his lengthy injury history), Becton’s market is a bit unpredictable.” Sacks allowed 3 | Penalties 4 | Press. rate allowed 6.0% | Snap rate 87.9% Tevin Jenkins: hope he stays healthy “Jenkins started a career-high 14 games in his fourth season, finally fighting off the injury bug, and now it’s time to get paid. The run mauler has improved in pass protection since moving inside to left guard from right and left tackle. Though Caleb Williams was sacked an NFL-high 68 times in 2024, only four were attributed to Jenkins, whose pressure rate allowed (3.7 percent) is among the best in this class.” Sacks allowed 4 | Penalties 4 | Press. rate allowed 3.7% | Snap rate 78.7% Brandon Scherff: 33 years old; probably looking to a similar deal to Zeitler “The No. 5 pick in 2015, Scherff had some injury-plagued seasons before leaving Washington. But he has found the fountain of youth in Florida, starting every game at right guard in three seasons with the Jaguars. He’s a solid pass blocker — his 2.9 percent pressure rate is the best in this class — who won’t cost teams a fortune.” Sacks allowed 0 | Penalties 2 | Press. rate allowed 2.9% | Snap rate 98.1% Tyron Smith: 55 years old (fine, 34); injury prone “Smith might not play a full season (he’s played just 40 games in the last five seasons), and that will make many rightfully cautious to sign him — but when he’s healthy, he still has his moments. He allowed 22 pressures in 10 games in 2024, tied for 10th-fewest among all tackles who played at least 350 snaps. While the sample size was relatively small because of his truncated season, he also posted a league-best 86 percent run-block win rate.” Sacks allowed 5 | Penalties 6 | Press. rate allowed 6.0% | Snap rate 55.5% Cam Robinson “Robinson has 101 career starts at left tackle, the last 10 with Minnesota after the Vikings acquired him from the Jaguars for a swap of 2026 Day 3 picks at the trade deadline to replace the injured Christian Darrisaw. But he finished the season with a brutal stretch, allowing 21 pressures over the final two games (including playoffs). Robinson finished with a pressure rate allowed of 8.7 percent, ranking 180th out of 189 offensive linemen with at least 200 pass-blocking snaps, while allowing eight sacks and committing 13 penalties (both tied for eighth-most). He’s not exactly known for his run blocking, either. There’s always a market for experienced left tackles, but given Robinson’s recent struggles and injury history, he might have to be patient.” Sacks allowed 8 | Penalties 13 | Press. rate allowed 8.7% | Snap rate 89.7% Will Hernandez “Hernandez missed 12 games after tearing his ACL (after not allowing a sack in the first five), but he’s a pretty solid guard with 91 starts under his belt and experience on both sides of the line. He found his stride in three years with the Cardinals after an inconsistent four seasons with the Giants.” Sacks allowed 0 | Penalties 2 | Press. rate allowed 5.1% | Snap rate 25.6% Jedrick Wills “Wills is a starting left tackle who doesn’t turn 26 until May, but he hasn’t been fully healthy since the middle of 2023. Given that he barely played last year and decided he wasn’t healthy enough to play in November when the Browns apparently thought otherwise, it feels like the relationship is over. Even when healthy, Wills’ play has been volatile, with more downs than ups in recent years. He might wind up with a one-year, prove-it deal.” Sacks allowed 3 | Penalties 5 | Press. rate allowed 7.1% | Snap rate 20.8% DJ Humphries: 31 years old; didn’t work out for OL-starved Chiefs “Humphries' cameo with the Chiefs last season went about as poorly as it could have. He allowed five pressures in his first start, lost his job (the Chiefs moved left guard Joe Thuney out to tackle instead) and then allowed six more pressures in a start with Kansas City's backups in Week 18. He also took two penalties. All of that said, Humphries is only 31 and had several years of passable left tackle play before tearing his ACL late in the 2023 season. It's not unreasonable to think he could return to that level of play in 2025, another year removed from the injury.” Sacks allowed 3 | Penalties 2 | Press. rate allowed 17.5% | Snap rate 88.8% Dalton Risner “A solid starter for four years in Denver, Risner never quite took the next step. In each of the past two years, he found a soft market before signing a one-year deal with the Vikings and starting most of the season, at left guard in 2023 and right guard in 2024. He has holes in his game, but his experience and versatility should find him a home somewhere.” Sacks allowed 0 | Penalties 0 | Press. rate allowed 5.0% | Snap rate 48.1%
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...ouston-guard-options-free-agency-20217353.php Teven Jenkins Jenkins presents a younger option and likely the best option still available at left guard. The former second-round pick has played his whole four-year career for the Chicago Bears, starting as a left tackle his rookie season before moving inside for the past three years. Jenkins played well in his contract year as he graded out as the 18th-best guard overall league-wide (75.4), but he also allowed a career-high four sacks and 17 pressures, per PFF. Jenkins provides potential for growth at 27 years old. Though some of his background might dissuade the Texans. The Bears' offensive line was even worse than Houston’s last year, allowing the most sacks (68) and third-most pressures (260) in the regular season, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. If the Texans want a reset, bringing someone in from a similar site of struggle isn’t the most appealing. That combined with Jenkins’ likely high price point could cause Houston to look elsewhere. Brandon Scherff Scherff is another veteran option who could shore up the Texans' interior for a short time. He's been one of the NFL’s best guards over the last decade, earning five Pro Bowl nominations in his 10-year career and a first team All-Pro honor in 2020. Those all came in Washington however, and after taking a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, his play has declined a touch. Scherff graded out as the 57th-best guard overall last year but was strong in pass blocking, allowing no sacks per PFF. The 33-year-old would likely command a similar short-term deal to Zeitler and be a stopgap for Houston’s leaky pass protection. Scherff also has some history with the Texans that could cause problems. The guard got into it with Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair as he was leaving the field following his ejection for illegally hitting Trevor Lawrence last season. The two jawed at each other while Al-Shaair was being escorted away. The linebacker then broke free from his attendants and he and Scherff ripped their helmets off to start another fight. The two had to be separated by teammates before Al-Shaair returned on his path to the locker room. Mekhi Becton Becton presents possibly the most intriguing prospect to bolster Houston’s interior. The 11th overall pick from the 2020 draft struggled mightily with injury and poor play in four years at tackle for the New York Jets. He missed all but one game in 2021 and 2022 with two surgeries on his right knee. Then after allowing a league-high 12 sacks in 2023, the Jets let him walk in free agency and he took a one-year, prove-it deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia asked him to move inside to right guard with its starting tackles already set. The new team and new position were transformative for Becton. He earned a starting spot and allowed a career-low three sacks in the regular season per PFF, then helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl. Becton is now on the open market trying to cash in on his strong year, which would be expensive for the cap-strapped Texans but could be worth it. Becton is an athletic freak at 6-foot-7 and 363 pounds who can run a 5.10 40-yard dash. While he had issues in New York with the coaching staff, Becton also now comes from a winning culture with the Eagles grounded in their offensive line room. That profile along with his potential still at just 25 years old would be welcomed in Houston. Dalton Risner Risner is another veteran option who could help the Texans significantly in pass protection. The six-year pro has allowed just one sack over his past two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings per PFF. While he graded out as the NFL’s 42nd overall guard (67.0) last year, he slotted in as the 13th-best in pass blocking with a grade of 76.2. Risner was also strong in his first four seasons with the Denver Broncos, allowing just 10 sacks. Risner comes with some health concerns. He suffered a back injury in training camp last year that cost him Minnesota’s first eight games and only could serve a reserve role in the next two. But when on the field, Risner’s been strong. He can also be an option for multiple seasons at 29 years old. That could mean he’ll command a more expensive deal, however. Will Hernandez Hernandez is another younger option who could help Houston for years to come. The seven-year pro played strong early last season, allowing no sacks and just eight pressures in five games for the Arizona Cardinals, per PFF. But a left knee injury ended his season early. That was a gut punch for Hernandez, as he was off to the best start of his career in a contract year. Though that could be something Houston could capitalize on. Hernandez has been relatively healthy over his career, missing a few games due to a COVID-19 diagnosis in 2020 and four in 2022 with a pectoral injury. The knee injury could lower Hernandez’s price tag, something the Texans would welcome. If Houston can keep him on the field and up to form, the 29-year-old could be a cheaper multi-year option for the team’s interior. Have I mentioned the Texans are kinda broke?
David Andrews signing in 3… 2… former Pats starting center and captain just got cut not my fav but lots of connections with Texans’ staff
Going of this.. in no order.. Jenkins/Scherrf/Risner.. 1 or 2 of them would be a big upgrade from last year. Hernandez oif the knee is okay. Becton would be nice, but how much? Please NO Cam Robinson or Tyron Smith
Yeah nick starting to worry me with these lineman but maybe the new oline coach has a scheme that these guys can handle only time will tell
