HOUSTON -- C.J. Stroud's last playoff dropback encapsulated a season-long issue for the Houston Texans: Another snap. Another sack.
It was the eighth sack he endured that day, as Houston lost 23-14 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. Since that game, the Texans haven't wasted time attempting to fix the problem -- overhauling the coaching and personnel for a unit that allowed Stroud to be sacked 52 times (second most in the NFL) and pressured on 38.6% of his dropbacks (second most), according to Next Gen Stats.
Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green were traded, while right guard Shaq Mason was released. To replace that trio, which accounted for 41 starts in 2024, Houston signed tackle Cam Robinson, tackle Trent Brown and left guard Laken Tomlinson, while trading for former Minnesota Vikings right guard Ed Ingram.
"The idea behind adding those guys was to just add some veteran guys who have played for a while and have done it the right way," coach DeMeco Ryans said at the league's annual meetings last week. "Guys who play hard. [I] really wanted to enhance competition in the room."
Ryans also made coaching changes to improve protection around Stroud. He fired offensive line coach Chris Strausser and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. He replaced Strausser with Texans assistant offensive line coach Cole Popovich and hired former Los Angeles Rams tight end and pass game coordinator Nick Calley to replace Slowik.
Houston started free agency rearranging the personnel highlighted by trading Tunsil to the Washington Commanders for third- and seventh-round picks in the 2025 draft and second- and fourth-rounders in 2026. The Commanders also will receive a fourth-round pick.
The Texans also traded Green to the Philadelphia Eagles for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Moving on from Mason and Green stemmed from their struggles in 2024. Among offensive linemen with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps, Green allowed the 14th-highest pressure rate (11.3%), and Mason allowed the sixth-most sacks (10.5), according to Next Gen Stats.
Trading Tunsil was a bit different. Tunsil had been a stalwart on the offensive line and ranked 10th in pass block win rate (92.9%) last season among all tackles. And among left tackles with at least 500 pass-blocking snaps, he ranked fifth in pressure rate allowed (8.3%) and third in sacks allowed (2.5), according to Next Gen Stats.
The main reason for trading Tunsil was strictly a financial move looking toward the future. The Texans opted against paying the five-time Pro Bowler, as he was due a combined $42 million over the next two seasons, for future assets. The Texans also made Derek Stingley Jr. the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history last month in his first offseason of being eligible, while being on his rookie contract, and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and Stroud will be eligible next offseason. A week after Stingley's deal, defensive end Danielle Hunter signed a one-year, $35.6 million contract extension, tying him to Houston through the 2026 season.
"There's nothing easy about that because Laremy is such a great player," Ryans said. "Put the tape on Sunday, and he's arguably one of the best one-on-one pass protectors in the NFL. So it's hard to lose a player of his caliber, but at the same time, it was a trade we felt was beneficial to both parties. We were able to get quality draft picks out of the trade and send Laremy to a really good team as well."
The Texans hope Robinson, Brown, Ingram and Tomlinson can provide an upgrade as a unit. However, it's fair to raise concerns as the additions struggled in 2024.
Last season, Ingram was benched, as the former 2022 second-round pick allowed the fifth-highest pressure rate (10%) among guards with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps, according to Next Gen Stats. Tomlinson started every game at left guard for the seventh straight season but allowed the sixth-highest pressure rate (9.1%) and the most sacks (11) among left guards with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps.
Robinson started the 2024 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars but was benched and then traded to the Vikings after Minnesota's Christian Darrisaw tore an ACL. But overall Robinson allowed the third-highest pass pressure rate among left tackles with at least 500 pass-blocking snaps (12.1%) and the fourth-most sacks (nine).
But the Texans are confident in the players they've added to improve the offensive line because of the mix of experience and competition to push for the best five on game day. Holdovers in tackle Tytus Howard, center Juice Scruggs, tackle Blake Fisher and center Jarrett Patterson will blend with the newcomers.
"We have a good core of young guys, some veteran guys," Ryans said. "With the mix of guys, the messaging to everyone is let's see who our best five on the team will be. Let's see what that competition will make of us. Competition, to me, makes you better."