Houston has a problem. And it's getting worse.
The Texans had one of the league's worst offensive lines in 2024, and the unit has gotten weaker since the start of free agency.
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Last year, the unit ranked No. 22 in ESPN's pass-block win rate and No. 31 in run-block win rate. Considering its struggles, it made sense why Houston dealt starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders and left guard Kenyon Green to the Eagles.
However, as Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice wrote on social media, the players brought in to revamp the unit could lead to even worse results.
On Thursday, the Texans traded for Vikings guard Ed Ingram two days after they agreed to a contract with free-agent guard Laken Tomlinson.
Per Tice, Ingram allowed the highest one-on-one pressure rate among guards in 2024, while Tomlinson ranked No. 4 in the metric. Green ranked third.
The uninspired moves leave Houston in an even more perilous position at offensive line than last season.
Per Pro Football Focus data, Ingram, a second-round pick by the Vikings in the 2022 NFL Draft, allowed 24 total pressures and five sacks last season before being benched in November. Tomlinson allowed 38 total pressures and six sacks as a member of a poor Seahawks offensive line, one year removed from an ineffective season with the Jets.
ESPN Texans reporter DJ Bien-Aime shared that Tomlinson's 9.1 pressure rate was the sixth-highest "among left guards with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps last season." Ingram didn't receive 300 pass-blocking snaps, but Bien-Aime noted he conceded a 10 percent pressure rate
Houston was the league's best story in 2023 after it won the AFC South one year after going 3-13-1. The Texans plateaued last season and will remain stuck in neutral as long as their offensive line is a net negative.
By adding two of the league's worst guards, a change in fortunes isn't likely to happen this fall. Instead, Houston might have just opened the door for an AFC South foe to take its crown.
