The Houston Texans have made a flurry of moves along the offensive line after an up-and-down 2024 season. They shipped Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason out while replacing them with multiple different names.
Despite having a Pro-Bowl caliber player in Tunsil in the fold last year, they ranked fourth in the NFL in sacks allowed (54). Naturally, with all the movement upfront, there may be a cause for concern among fans.
General manager Nick Caserio recently spoke about the offensive line at a season ticket holder event and told fans he isn't worried in the slightest.
Caserio said, "It's never about one pick. It's never about one player. I think the offensive line, in and of itself, is five guys playing as one. I would say, for DeMeco [Ryans] and I, we're not concerned about it. So, if we're not concerned about it, you guys certainly shouldn't be concerned about it either."
Over the past couple of months, Houston has brought in Cam Robinson, Aireontae Ersery, Laken Tomlinson, Ed Ingram, and Trent Brown in an effort to bolster the OL. Of course, Caserio is going to be confident in these moves. They took multiple swings and expect that whatever combination goes out there will be effective.
During the 2023 season, the Texans were 11th in sacks allowed with 47. Stroud getting kept upright more consistently helped him come out hot as a rookie. Over 17 games, the OSU product completed 63.9% of his passes for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Things took a step back in his sophomore campaign, tossing 3,727 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, but had 12 interceptions. While everything doesn't fall on the offensive line, the increase in pressure certainly had a negative impact on Stroud.
No one will know if this unit has gotten better under the pads come on during training camp. Even then, we'll get a real feel of that group when the season starts in September.
Until then, fans can only speculate how the new offensive line will look, but it's clear the Texans don't seem to be worried.