Pro Football Rumors
Although the Texans showed their 2023 rebound was far from a fluke, DeMeco Ryans‘ second season saw the team plateau. C.J. Stroud did not take the second-year step many anticipated, and Houston finished with an even point differential despite playing in one of the NFL’s worst divisions. After a second straight 10-7 season, the Texans made widespread offensive changes while fortifying Ryans’ defense for the long term.
As Houston attempts to infiltrate the AFC’s upper crust and reach the first conference championship game in franchise history, some points of emphasis emerged between free agency and the draft.
The Texans made the interesting decision to both label their offensive line a problem, the correct determination, while also trading away the best piece from it. Tunsil is out after six Texans seasons, having commanded two monster contracts since the 2019 blockbuster trade brought him in from Miami.
ESPN’s pass block win rate metric slotted Tunsil just outside the top 10 in 2023 and ’24, and the nine-year veteran had stayed mostly healthy since his injury-plagued 2021. Tunsil represented a key component in the Texans’ Stroud developmental effort, and they will pivot from a five-time Pro bowler (all five nods coming in Houston) to an eight-year vet (Cam Robinson) without any honors on his resume. Though, the Texans addressed this position early in the draft as well.
Tunsil is also weeks from his 31st birthday and would have been a candidate for an even higher-priced extension, as two seasons remain on his three-year, $75MM accord. Even though the Texans are light in terms of salary along their O-line — beyond Tytus Howard‘s three-year, $54MM deal — Tunsil said the team was prioritizing younger players over his fourth contract. That could have become a disruption along an O-line that had become a problem in 2024.
That said, this is a gamble due to the potential downgrade Tunsil to Robinson could bring. Still, the Texans fetched a nice haul for a player acquired before Nick Caserio‘s GM tenure began.
One of Caserio’s failed O-line projects is now in Philadelphia, being dealt for a proven safety. As Green did not pan out, the Texans will bet against the Eagles resurrecting his career a la their Mekhi Becton effort. Green struggled during his two seasons on the field while missing all of 2023 due to an offseason injury. A midseason IR trip ended Green’s starter run last season, as the Texas A&M product returned as a seldom-used backup by year’s end. One year remains on Green’s rookie deal; the Eagles declined his fifth-year option.
Gardner-Johnson is an interesting bet, especially in giving up an underperforming guard. Two years also remain...
