After seeing C.J. Stroud get sacked 52 times last season, which was a significant increase from his rookie season (38), the Houston Texans made two major changes to their offensive line this offseason.
For starters, the Texans released veteran offensive guard Shaq Mason ahead of NFL free agency last month. Then they traded former first-round pick Kenyon Green to the Philadelphia Eagles in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson deal, and sent Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders.
As things currently stand, Tytus Howard and Juice Scruggs will hold down the left and right guard spots, while recently signed lineman Cam Robinson will take Tunsil’s spot at left tackle.
On Monday, Stroud spoke to reporters for the first time about the offensive line changes and the departures of Mason and Tunsil.
According to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime, the third-year quarterback said “it's above his pay grade” when asked if changes on the offensive line were necessary. Stroud also said, “Nick (Caserio) has a plan,” and is excited to have new guys.
#Texans QB CJ Stroud on the OL changes said that "it's above his pay grade" on if it was necessary to do it. Said "Nick has a plan."
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) April 21, 2025
Said "it's exciting having new guys its different."
Added that RG Shaq Mason & LT Laremy Tunsil were his "best friends." and he'll "miss" them.
However, the former first-round pick admitted that Mason and Tunsil were his “best friends” and he’ll “miss” them, per Bien-Aime.
Last season, Mason struggled in pass protection, allowing eight sacks and 34 pressures. He also had a 62.3 overall grade on Pro Football Focus (65th among 135 eligible guards). Given his age and production, the Texans felt it was best to move and save some cap space.
Now, the decision to move on Tunsil caught a lot of people off guard, but the Texans got a nice haul in return for the Pro Bowl tackle.
Last season, the veteran tackle had an 88.6 pass blocking grade (fourth among 140 eligible tackles) and only gave up two sacks. However, he was penalized 19 times (140th) in 1,026 offensive snaps, which is unfathomable.
The Texans hope that the changes they made this offseason will improve their offensive line, but banking on Robinson to protect Stroud’s blindside is a huge gamble.