The Houston Texans had plenty of needs this offseason but one of the biggest was to fix their offensive line. C.J. Stroud was bullied behind the Texans’ unit, getting sacked 52 times and thrown to the turf eight more times during a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. While the Texans made some moves, the result seems underwhelming, creating even more questions heading into next season.
Fortunately, there’s still time for Houston to figure something out. An obvious solution to their offensive line situation is still available and while it won’t solve things long-term, saving him from a free agent purgatory could bolster the group heading into 2025.
Texans Should Call Brandon Scherff to Solve Their Offensive Line Problem
Brandon Scherff is still on the free agent market and he would be a perfect fit for Houston’s offensive line woes. Scherff had another strong season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, allowing 17 pressures and no sacks on 625 pass-blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus. At age 33, he’s still effective and could provide an upgrade on the Texans’ current offensive line situation.
The Texans’ rebuild in the trenches hasn’t been short on effort, but maybe lacking in results. Laremy Tunsil was traded at the beginning of the offseason and Cam Robinson is a suitable replacement after coming over from the Minnesota Vikings. But while Aireontae Ersery was added for another option at tackle, Houston didn’t do much to solidify the interior of the offensive line in the draft.
Tytus Howard, Jarrett Patterson and Juice Scruggs are listed as the Texans’ interior starters heading into OTAs. But their depth signings behind them feel underwhelming with Laken Tomlinson signing in free agency and Ed Ingram coming over in a trade with the Vikings. Even Jake Andrews signing for center depth feels off considering he came from the New England Patriots, a team that finished dead last in PFF’s final offensive line rankings.
When you look at it this way, Houston’s strategy seems to be to cross their fingers and hope things will be better with a few different people. But none of them have the track record that Scherff has. A five-time Pro Bowler and former All-Pro, Scherff answered durability questions by playing over 1,000 snaps in each of his three seasons in Jacksonville and is one of the league’s best pass-blocking guards.
While his run-blocking has declined, it’s not as big of a deal as keeping Stroud upright, which still feels like a challenge after the Texans made all of those moves. If Scherff wants to play this season, the Texans should give him a call.