In this offseason series, Athlon Sports' Doug Farrar asks the One Big Question for all 32 NFL teams — the primary discussion point that will measure ultimate success (or not) for every franchise. We begin our look at the AFC South with the Houston Texans, who could be a Super Bowl contender with an offensive line that isn't a severe liability as it was in 2024. The Big Question here is whether the organization did enough to give quarterback C.J. Stroud half a chance in 2025 from a protection perspective.
In 2023, C.J. Stroud put together one of the best rookie seasons any quarterback has ever enjoyed in pro football history. He completed 354 of 553 passes for 4,557 yards, 26 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 101.7. In addition, he took the Houston Texans, a franchise that hadn't been in the postseason since 2019, all the way to the divisional round against a Baltimore Ravens team that was simply better, and the 34-10 result bore that out.
Regardless, much was expected of Stroud — the runaway winner of the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award — in Year 2, and he did his level best to live up to it. In 2024, Stroud did complete 377 of 593 passes for 4,254 yards, 21 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a passer rating of 87.6.
It was a relatively down year after that smashing NFL debut, and there were multiple reasons for that. Receivers Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Stefon Diggs each missed multiple games due to injuries, and Stroud's protection — which had been spotty in Year 1 — was much worse the second time around. Last season, Stroud was pressured on 39.0% of his dropbacks, up from 35.4% in 2023, and when under pressure, he completed 87 of 186 dropbacks for 1,177 yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 69.7. This was also a downturn from Stroud's performance under pressure in 2023, when he completed 88 of 170 passes for 1,033 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 76.4.
Stroud was also sacked 63 times in the 2024 season, as opposed to 36 times in 2023. And the extent to which opposing defenses were able to come after Stroud and put him to the ground with just four down linemen was extremely disconcerting.
With quarterbacks, the buildup of pressure can create bad habits, and cause regression even among the best in the business. Pressure can force quarterbacks to drift in the pocket against their own momentum, make throws they shouldn't be making because the oxygen gets too thin from down to down, and reduce the playbook in their heads because... well, what else are you going to do?
When you look at Stroud's 13 interceptions last season, you can see that far too often, the hits started to affect his poise and composure.
The Texans did a lot this offseason to try and fix the problems. They fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, replacing him with Nick Caley, and brought in new offensive line coach Cole Popovich. Those two guys have a history going back to their days with the New England Patriots, and yes, if you're wondering, Popovich is related to legendary NBA coach Gregg Popovich — something he didn't even know until a few years ago.
“I think it all starts up front, obviously, and it’s really all 11," Caley said in February during his opening press conference, when asked the obvious question: How are you guys going to protect your quarterback? "We all have to be in sync and I think protections starts with communication, trust and cohesiveness up front and really having clear rules in the protection system. We’re going to be going through that process. Obviously, I have a history with Cole dating back to my time in New England when he was our offensive line coach and I coached the tight ends, so I have a really good working relationship and level of trust with Cole. He is a very good football coach, and I’m excited to go through this process with him.”
The movements along the line were quite severe. The Texans traded left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders for some draft capital (Tunsil and a 2025 fourth-round pick for second- and fourth-round picks in 2026), and they brought in a series of veteran, if unspectacular linemen to try and spackle the front five together.
Most likely, Cam Robinson is the starting left tackle, Laken Tomlinson is the starting left guard, and there are a few other new names — center Jake Andrews, guard Ed Ingram, and tackle Trent Brown — to play with. None of these guys are what you would call franchise cornerstones, but you can't blame the Texans for thinking that anything new would be better (even if Tunsil played pretty well in 2024).
Then, with the 48th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Houston added Minnesota tackle Aireontae Ersery, an enormous blocker with some surprising agility for his size. Ersery is just as dominant in the run game as you would expect from someone with his frame and playing personality, and he's historically kept his quarterbacks clean.
“Yeah, with Tay we add a guy who brings that physicality, that mindset, that I really think helps offensive linemen be good at their job," head coach DeMeco Ryans said in April of the Ersery pick. "He's done a great job at playing left tackle, and still has room to grow and develop. I’m excited about adding him.”
There probably isn't anybody more excited about the possibility of all the new pieces working out than Stroud himself. He did the best he could with what he had around him, leading the Texans to a 32-12 wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers before running into the buzzsaw that is the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.
Now, there's a healthy Nico Collins, and though Tank Dell's return to the fold is still up in the air after he tore the MCL, LCL and ACL in his left knee (ouch) in Week 16, there are new targets for Stroud via the draft. Houston tripled down on Iowa State receivers — Xavier Hutchinson was already from there — with the additions of Jayden Higgins in the second round, and Jaylin Noel in the third. That's a neat trifecta with Collins leading the way. And quite under the radar, Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio have built one of the NFL's best defenses.
But of course, it's primarily about that offensive line, and ensuring that Stroud is able to be the best quarterback he can be. Without that, little else matters from a championship perspective.
