The Houston Texans definitely showed signs of life in the playoffs, hammering the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round and then putting forth a valiant effort against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
However, it’s also abundantly clear that the Texans have some pretty glaring holes.
They definitely need to add more weapons for C.J. Stroud, but perhaps more importantly, they need to get him some protection.
Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus feels that Houston’s top offseason priority should be addressing the offensive line for 2025.
“The Texans‘ offensive line struggled in pass protection in 2024, ranking 22nd in the NFL with an 83.9 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating,” Buday wrote. “Despite having one of the league’s best pass-blocking left tackles in Laremy Tunsil, the unit allowed 180 total pressures on 663 pass plays during the regular season.”
The Texans spent last offseason adding some big-name talents like Stefon Diggs and Danielle Hunter, but they failed to improve the offensive line, and it ended up severely inhibiting Stroud during his sophomore campaign.
“Those protection issues had a direct impact on quarterback C.J. Stroud’s development,” Buday continued. “While the Texans gave up the ninth-most pressures (180) in the league, those pressures resulted in 33 sacks—the third-most of any team.”
Stroud threw 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on the season, one year after finishing with 23 touchdowns and five picks in a historically good rookie campaign.
“Improving pass protection and giving Stroud more confidence in the pocket must be Houston’s top priority heading into 2025,” Buday concluded.
Of course, that may be easier said than done, as the Texans don’t have a whole lot of cap room to sign free agents.
Perhaps Houston can repair its ailing offensive line in the NFL Draft.