Texans Make Announcement About ‘Massive’ $9 Million Trench Presence

The Houston Texans and head coach DeMeco Ryans can officially close the books on a delay of their own creation, with offensive tackle and rookie second-round draft pick Aireonte Ersery officially signing his contract on Monday.

Ersery was the final unsigned pick of the Texans’ 2025 class.

“We have signed 2nd round draft pick Aireontae Ersery,” the Texans’ social media team posted on X on July 21.

“#Texans wrap up rookie draft class agreeing to terms with second-round offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery on a four-year, $9,211,646 contract, per a league source,” KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson reported on X on July 21.

“Woke up A Houston Texan,” Ersery posted on X in April after he was drafted. “Blessed!!”

The announcement comes two days after the Texans agreed to terms on the deal, per a previous report from Wilson.

Aireontae Projected to Man Backup Role Along Texans OL

Ersery, a “massive” prospect at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, joins a re-tooled Texans offensive line, which makes projecting his role at this stage a complicated endeavor.

A left tackle in college at Minnesota, Eresery has the versatility to play on the right side. Moreover, he could even compete at guard. However, ESPN’s staff projected Ersery will have a backup role with the Texans as a rookie in an article on July 13.

That article ranked the Texans’ roster the 13th-best in the league, sixth in the AFC.

The Athletic’s Vic Tafur set the Texans’ over/under at 9.5 wins, calling them a “best bet,” but he also noted that the offensive line remains a source of intrigue.

“For having a disappointing season last year, the Texans still won 10 games (going over the projected total) and only trailed the Chiefs by one point entering the fourth quarter of the divisional playoff round,” Tafur wrote on July 17. “Injuries and predictable play calling exposed a terrible offensive line. C.J. Stroud was sacked 54 times and was understandably a little jumpy. The offensive line is still a big concern.”

Tafur expects new offensive coordinator Nick Caley to be an improvement over his predecessor, Bobby Slowik, and for new additions Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel to complement Nico Collins.

The Texans also still boast a strong pass rush.

“It’s impossible not to see the Texans winning at least 10 games for a third straight season,” Tafur wrote before Ersery officially signed his deal.

Texans Caused Delay With Aireontae Ersery

As recently as July 16, 30 of 32 second-round picks from the 2025 draft remained unsigned, including Higgins, thanks largely to the Texans’ decision to give Higgins (No. 34 overall) a fully guaranteed four-year, $11.7 million contract.

Higgins is the first second-round pick to get a fully guaranteed deal. After the Cleveland Browns followed through with the No. 33 pick, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, others followed suit.

That included Ersery’s camp after the OL attended the offseason program.

San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Alfred Collins (No. 43) broke the stalemate. After that, Ersery and his second-round brethren again followed. Now, the Texans can get Ersery on the field for training camp. Training camp opens for Texans rookies and veterans on July 22 this year.