Struggling Texans Lineman Now on Thin Ice After Nick Caley Hiring
By Chris Schad
The Houston Texans entered the 2024 with big expectations after advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs the year before. With C.J. Stroud under center, DeMeco Ryans on the sideline and a blossoming offensive mind in Bobby Slowik, the push for a lengthy run wasn’t out of the question.
But while the Texans were able to win their second straight division title and earned another playoff victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, it still felt like they came up short. Houston’s offense took a big step back under Slowik and the 37-year-old was replaced by Nick Caley on Monday.
Caley has plenty of objectives in order to improve a Texans offense that ranked 19th in scoring offense, but the biggest priority is fixing an offensive line that allowed 54 sacks last season. That puts the entire offensive line on notice but puts one lineman in particular on thin ice heading into next season.
Shaq Mason Must Improve Under Texans New Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley
Several Texans had disappointing years but while Juice Scuggs and Jarrett Patterson can chalk their struggles up to youth, Mason looks like a declining veteran.
Mason enjoyed a dominant career in his prime as an anchor for the New England Patriots. After posting a PFF grade of 80 or higher in five of his first seven seasons, he was traded to Tampa Bay in the spring of 2022. While Mason was still a solid pass blocker with 27 pressures allowed, his PFF grade dropped from 86.4 in 2021 to 68.2 in 2022, leading the Buccaneers to trade Mason to the Texans.
Houston gave Mason a three-year, $36 million contract extension upon his arrival but his decline has continued. He posted overall PFF grades of 65.6 and 60.5 in his two seasons with the Texans and was key contributor to the Texans’ pass blocking woes last year. He even tied with Cincinnati Bengals guard Alex Cappa for the NFL lead with eight sacks allowed.
The performance was part of the reason why Stroud’s pressure rate jumped from 35.4 percent to 39 percent in 2024, which could also draw the attention of Caley. As passing game coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, Caley worked with one of the best offensive lines in the NFL led by starting guards Kevin Dotson (77.7 PFF Grade) and Steve Avila (66.1). That helped Matthew Stafford enjoy the fifth-lowest pressure rate among starting quarterbacks this season at 31.8 percent.
Any change won’t be immediate as the Texans would eat $12.4 million in dead money if they decided to cut him before June 1 according to Over The Cap. But it could lead to a benching during the season and a release the following offseason when the Texans could save $7.7 million in cap space.
Set to turn 32 in training camp, Mason still has time to find a second act. But the clock is ticking as the Texans’ new offensive coordinator arrives.