Michael Deiter

A week ago, we dove into some speculation about the potential starters that could emerge from several position battles along the offensive line in Houston. According to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN, roles are “starting to sort themselves out for a completely revamped unit.”

To review, the departures of Laremy Tunsil, Shaq Mason, and Kenyon Green left the Texans with three vacant starting positions: left tackle, left guard, and right guard. Of the two positions with returning starters, the presumed right tackle starter could be moved elsewhere on the line, while the center position will likely have to be won through competition regardless of returners.

Nothing has changed on the situation at left guard. Veteran free agent addition Laken Tomlinson comes to Houston with 10 years of starting experience, all at left guard. He took the most reps at the position throughout the spring, and it appears to be his job barring injury. Similarly, there’s still a strong feeling that Tytus Howard will be a starter on the offensive line, though the team doesn’t know where. Over his six years in Houston, Howard has started 48 games at right tackle, 27 games at left guard, and four games at left tackle. Most of his time in the spring, though, was split between right tackle and right guard, so with Tomlinson at left guard, he’s likely pinned at the two spots on the right side of the line.

At left tackle, the Texans have been shuffling veteran free agent addition Cam Robinson and rookie second-round pick Aireontae Ersery on the first team. Robinson is likely the expected starter on the blindside, while Ersery appears to cross training at both tackle spots. This means Ersery is also rotating first-team snaps at right tackle. His competition on that side is last year’s second-rounder Blake Fisher, but Zachary Thomas is a new name Bien-Aime throws into the mix here.

Thomas joined the Texans last years after spending half the season in New England and two years before that with the Rams. He doesn’t have any starting experience in the NFL, so it’s interesting to see him getting rotated in with the two youngsters for first-team snaps. Whether they’re just checking every possibility or they lack confidence in their first- and second-year options remains to be seen, but it appears that Thomas has put himself in the conversation. If none of the three work out, Howard can always man the spot, and the new important position battle will be at right guard.

To look for who may start at right guard if Howard isn’t there, one must look to the position battle at center. Jarrett Patterson split time at the position with Michael Deiter in 2023 and then did the same with Juice Scruggs last year. Patterson and Scruggs return for another competition, but they’re now joined by Jake Andrews, a center that Houston claimed off waivers from the Patriots. Any of the three could win the job, and one may assume the best loser will have a good shot at filling the right guard spot, should Howard move back to tackle.

Elsewhere on the offense, Bien-Aime comments on the preferred wide receivers in Houston at the moment. With Nico Collins firmly atop the pecking order and with Tank Dell‘s prospects for playing in 2025 still uncertain, rookie second-round pick Jayden Higgins and veteran trade acquisition Christian Kirk have emerged as likely key contributors.

Higgens, a big-bodied pass catcher out of Iowa State, has reportedly been making plays on some of the Texans’ defensive starters as he develops a new chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud. After a down, injury-ruined year, Kirk is hoping his move to Houston will be fruitful. Kirk had already earned the nickname “slot demon” by the end of minicamp by the defense, and he seems to be establishing himself as a reliable safety blanket for Stroud, who was sacked last year more than every other quarterback in the NFL (except Caleb Williams).

With a new group of weapons on the offense establishing themselves and a re-tooled offensive line starting to figure out where everyone fits, the Texans are making quick and necessary progress on their new-look offense full of questions marks. They’ll hope to put together a group that can win its third straight division title and earn its third straight playoff appearance.