The Houston Texans entered the offseason knowing they needed wholesale changes across its offensive line, but former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud probably didn't expect it to play out this way. Their latest move in signing veteran left tackle Cam Robinson is just the most recent in a string of head-scratching strategies.
One week after the team traded star left tackle Laremy Tunsil to Washington to pick and cut bait with starting guards Shaq Mason and Kenyon Green, the Texans splurged on Robinson. He inked a one-year, $14.5 million deal.
Before the deal was made, it appeared as though 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher would take over for Tunsil. The Texans had told Tunsil their trade of him was to ensure they could keep their young core in coming years but then signed the 29-year-old Robinson to a deal that eats up most of the savings they earned by moving Tunsil.
Even the cap savings are worthwhile for the Texans, especially as Tunsil was likely to angle for a new contract despite being 31, the on-field aspect of the move is a real concern. Stroud already struggled behind last year's line, so maybe it won't matter if the individual talent gap from Tunsil to Robinson is notable.
New offensive coordinator Nick Caley has to get more out of Robinson for that to be possible. I thought a move to right tackle was more in order for Robinson as opposed to finding a starting blindside role.
Robinson was rough in 2024. He tied a career-high in sacks allowed (eight) and produced the worst pass-block efficiency (94.4) of his career in 2024. His 64 pressures allowed was the most in the NFL amongst all tackles by a whopping 10 margin.
The ugly part for Houston is they're still not an especially good roster or flush with cap space. It's not a bad team, but Stroud will have to do the heavy lifting once again. He's propping up a roster that is very much still in a rebuild.
