The Houston Texans continue to overhaul their offensive line in the early stages of free agency. Laremy Tunsil was traded to the Washington Commanders shortly after the start of the legal tampering window. Houston released Shaq Mason and added Laken Tomlinson in free agency to try and help a unit that allowed C.J. Stroud to get sacked eight times in a divisional round playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
While the Texans have had a lot of action, many of the moves have been underwhelming. The latest head-scratcher was made on Thursday, when they acquired a player that could leave Houston’s offensive line overhaul back where it started.
Texans Trade For Struggling Guard Ed Ingram From Vikings
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Texans are acquiring guard Ed Ingram in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings. SI’s Will Ragatz adds that Houston is sending a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for the former second-round pick, who has struggled since coming out of LSU in the 2022 draft.
Ingram led all offensive linemen with 63 pressures in his rookie year, according to Pro Football Focus. Ingram cut his pressures down to 42 in 2023, but last season was the final straw, posting a career-low 54.0 overall grade before he was benched for Dalton Risner last November.
The 26-year-old has also posted a pass-blocking grade under 50 twice in his career, and his 49.1 pass-blocking grade on 332 snaps was the 12th-lowest mark among qualifiers last season.
The good news is that Ingram is an upgrade over Kenyon Green, whose 39.7 pass-blocking grade was the sixth-lowest among qualifiers last season before he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. But the Texans have swapped one draft bust for another in what has been a mind-numbing overhaul in the trenches.
With Ingram in the fold, he’s likely to battle Juice Scruggs for a starting job next season. But Houston could still add a guard in the draft, which makes sense considering Scruggs posted a 62.1 pass-blocking grade last season. The Texans will also reportedly move Tytus Howard to left tackle and start Blake Fisher, who had an overall grade of 44.7 last year, at right tackle as part of their new-look offensive line.
Will it be better than what they rolled out a year ago? It doesn’t look good. But at least the Texans have thrown some darts that could give them a fighting chance next season.