Houston was already expected to target the offensive line in free agency, but things get even more interesting. Dianna Russini of The Athletic just reported that the Texans are trading starting RT/LG Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick:
This is another absolutely amazing thing about Texans general manager Nick Caserio, who seems to like to start reshaping his roster early with these trades. Just a year ago, Caserio’s decision to trade center Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders put the entire league on pause. This is his first big move to “fix the offensive line,” and while trading away one of the best players in the position group may seem counterintuitive, it’s clearly only going to satisfy his appetite.
This time, though, Caserio didn’t receive a package of draft picks like he did in the Tunsil trade, and Houston would actually only receive Titus Howard’s fifth-round pick! Talk about an impressive return!
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Regardless, now that Howard is gone, the Texans have now officially traded away their best offensive lineman in consecutive offseasons, clearing the way for salary cap spending elsewhere and leaving the offensive line in even worse shape than it will be during the 2025 regular season. The O-line has been a contentious topic all season, with coach Cole Popovich rotating players around in an attempt to find the best combination for an underperforming team. He eventually found a good starting five: LT’s Aireontae Ersery, LG’s Howard, C’s Jake Andrews, RG’s Ed Ingram and RT’s Trent Brown, but that combination was destined to be short-lived. Titus Howard accomplished the following in the 2025 season:
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18 games (18 starts, including playoffs)
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10 times booted in RT, 5 times booted in LG, 3 times started in RG
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0 sacks, 1 hit, 25 hurries.
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62.3 PFF grade (49.5 RBLK, 76.7 PBLK)
Tytus Howard came to Houston as former head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien’s much-maligned first-round draft pick (23rd overall). A relatively unknown prospect out of Alabama State who was considered by many to be O’Brien’s successor, Howard was all about protecting the edges of then-Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson in the 2019 offseason. Howard would first arrive in Houston in April, followed a few months later by Tunsil after a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins. From that point forward, Tunsil and Howard would continue to be the only bright spots on Houston’s offensive line, with Tunsil being his standard great self and Howard developing an average to excellent pass-blocking RT. He would go on to become one of the Texans’ most versatile linemen over time, playing multiple snaps at LG as the team struggled with the enigma at a position they couldn’t get out of. Howard’s natural position certainly isn’t LG, but he’s decent enough there to merit playing him instead of someone else.
With Howard gone, the Texans’ problematic offensive line is now stuck directly into the crisis mode it paused last offseason. Caserio solved this nightmare by signing C. Jack Andrews, G. Ed Ingram, G. Laken Tomlinson, T. Trent Brown, T. Cam Robinson, and then drafted T. Ariontae Etheli. The signings of Robinson and Tomlinson are best forgotten, but all of his other moves have resulted in interim starts or (in the case of Ingram and Essery) permanent starts up front. Caserio and his staff are clearly inspired by the “success” of this strategy and are trying to implement it again in 2026, but I doubt it. It took me a few months to accept the Tunsil trade, and it might have taken me longer if Ersery hadn’t quickly filled the LT spot as a rookie. I expect the Howard trade to be an equally thorny issue, or even worse considering we haven’t seen Essery blossom into a star yet. For the second year in a row, everything hinges on this free agency cycle and the upcoming NFL Draft, which to me doesn’t seem like the best way to run a railroad.
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But what do you think? Is this trade necessary considering all of Houston’s young stars will be facing a salary crunch? Or, is Titus Howard worth staying? Are there any tackles in free agency or the draft that you wouldn’t mind seeing in the Reds? Let us know in the comments below!
Come on Texans! ! !