The Houston Texans’ offensive line was one of the most disappointing aspects of a team that didn’t take a step forward last season. The group allowed quarterback C.J. Stroud to get sacked 52 times last season and massive changes took place this offseason as a result.
Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green and Shaq Mason were sent packing early in the offseason and the Texans brought in Cam Robinson, Laken Tomlinson through free agency and Ed Ingram via trade. While the tackles appear to be in great shape – especially with the addition of Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery in the second round of last month’s draft – the Texans could still use another guard to provide competition in the middle and it could lead them to a last-minute free agent pickup before it’s too late.
Texans Should Consider Signing Will Hernandez Before OTAs
The Texans' guard situation saw some action during the offseason, but it doesn’t feel like they’ve addressed the problem. Tytus Howard was a solid starter for the Texans at left guard last year, posting a 70.2 overall grade and a 74.9 pass blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus. But the right side of the offensive line has some questions.
Juice Scruggs took a jump after his rookie season, producing a 63.0 grade while playing all three interior offensive line positions last year. While it was a serviceable performance, there’s still room for improvement after allowing 25 quarterback pressures and five sacks on 586 pass-blocking snaps. Ingram is also the king of pressures since entering the league with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022, allowing a 7.2% pressure rate on 1,788 career pass-blocking snaps.
With that, the Texans could use a veteran and Will Hernandez could be the answer. Hernandez was written off as a bust with a PFF grade under 60 in each of his final three seasons with the New York Giants, but rebounded to go above that mark in each of his three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
The biggest jump, however, has been in pass protection. Hernandez allowed a 6.4% pressure rate and a PFF pass-blocking grade under 60 in his final two years with the Giants, but he was able to drop that number to a 4% pressure rate and post grades over 80 in all three years with Arizona.
While he profiles more as a gap-blocker than a zone-blocker at 6-foot-2 and 332 pounds, he split his run-blocking snaps evenly during his time in Arizona and fills the Texans’ more immediate need of keeping C.J. Stroud upright.
At 30 years old and coming off a torn ACL, Hernandez is not a long-term answer. But with only one draft pick dedicated to the offensive line, the Texans could be looking to make this a two-to-three-year process before completely fixing the problem. If Hernandez is healthy, he could be worth the risk and give Houston some competition on the inside.