Houston was already expected to target the offensive line in free agency, but things just got a whole lot more interesting. Dianna Russini of the The Athletic just reported the the Texans are trading starting RT/LG Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns for a 5th-round pick:
This comes as another absolute stunner from Texans general manager Nick Caserio, who seems to like getting the roster shakeup started early via these trades. It was only a single year ago that Caserio made the entire league pause with his decision to trade LT Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders. That was one of his first big moves in “fixing the offensive line,” and even though trading away one of your best players at the position group may seem counterintuitive, it clearly only wet his appetite.
This time around though, instead of Caserio obtaining a package of draft selections like he did with the Tunsil trade, Houston will actually only be receiving a 5th round pick for Tytus Howard! Talk about an underwhelming return!
Either way, now that Howard is gone, the Texans have now officially traded away their best offensive linemen in consecutive offseasons, clearing the road for cap spending elsewhere and for the offensive line to be in an even more dire state than it was during the 2025 regular season. The o-line was a controversial subject all season long as coach Cole Popovich rotated players around trying to find the best combination for a subpar group. He eventually found a decent starting five with Aireontae Ersery at LT, Howard at LG, Jake Andrews at C, Ed Ingram at RG, and Trent Brown at RT, but that combination was doomed to be short lived. In his 2025 season, Tytus Howard finished with:
- 18 Games (18 Starts, including playoffs)
- 10 Starts at RT, 5 Starts at LG, 3 Starts at RG
- 1,162 total snaps
- 0 Sacks, 1 Hit, 25 Hurries
- 62.3 PFF Grade (49.5 RBLK, 76.7 PBLK)
Tytus Howard came to Houston as a much-maligned first round pick (23rd Overall) by former head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien. A relatively unknown prospect out of Alabama State, many saw Howard as a reach by O’Brien, who made the 2019 offseason all about protecting the edges of then Texans QB Deshaun Watson. Howard would arrive in Houston first in April, and then Tunsil would arrive a couple months later after a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins. Tunsil and Howard would go on to be the lone bright spots on Houston’s offensive line since then, with Tunsil being his standard exceptional self and Howard forming into an average to great pass-blocking RT. Over time, he would go on to be one of the Texans most versatile linemen, recording several stints at LG as the team contended with this enigma at that position that they just can’t shake. Howard’s natural position certainly wasn’t LG, but he was decent enough there to warrant playing him instead of anyone else.
With Howard now gone, the Texans’ problematic offensive line now dives straight back into the crisis state it was suspended in last offseason. Caserio dealt with that nightmare by signing C Jake Andrews, G Ed Ingram, G Laken Tomlinson, T Trent Brown, T Cam Rombinson, and then drafting T Aireontae Ersery. The Robinson and Tomlinson signings are better left forgotten, but all of his other moves resulted in either interim starters or (in case of the Ingram and Ersery) permanent starters along the front. Caserio and his staff have obviously been emboldened by the “success” they wrought from this strategy and are trying to run it back in 2026, but I have my doubts. It took me months to reconcile with the Tunsil trade, and it would have taken longer if Ersery had not quickly filled in the LT spot as a rookie. I expect the Howard trade to be just as prickly of an issue, if not worse considering we have yet to see Ersery blossom into a star. For the second year in a row, everything now hinges on this free agency cycle and the upcoming NFL Draft, which, to me, doesn’t seem like the greatest way to run a railroad.
What do you think, though? Was this trade necessary considering the cap crunch Houston is bound to be in with all of their young stars? Or, was Tytus Howard worth keeping around? Are there tackles on the free agent market or in the draft that you wouldn’t mind seeing in Battle Red? Let us know down in the comments below!
GO TEXANS!!!
