HOUSTON – DeMeco Ryans didn’t mince words. He didn’t hedge, at all. And the Texans coach and former Pro Bowl linebacker spoke directly as he elaborated on the area where the defending AFC South champions are in need of dramatic and immediate improvement.
It was always going to be about the offensive line, the group that fell short as quarterback C.J. Stroud was under siege throughout last season, enduring a heavy duress of relentless pressure that left him on the ground far too often and hindered the Texans’ chances from beating the Kansas City Chiefs.
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The Texans’ AFC divisional round playoff loss was painfully emblematic of their season as Stroud was sacked eight times and hit 14 times overall at Arrowhead Stadium.
“We can continue to improve on the offensive line,” Ryans said during a conversation with a handful of Houston reporters during the NFL scouting combine. “As everyone knows, we had some miscues there. I think hitting the reset button will allow us to, the guys we have, they played some good ball, it wasn’t all bad, but, collectively, I think we can do a better job just by everybody being on the same page, hearing one voice of how we’re communicating to the offensive line and I think that will help the guys we have.”
Although the AFC divisional round playoff loss was far from the final straw for the Texans in firing offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and offensive line coach Chris Strausser, it marked a lasting indictment of their body of work overseeing the offense and a flawed pass protection scheme that was wildly ineffective as Stroud was sacked 52 times during the regular season and 11 times more during the postseason as his statistics regressed significantly one year after being named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. It’s a time for change for the Texans’ offense with the hire of offensive coordinator Nick Caley and the promotion of Cole Popovich, a Dante Scarneccia disciple, to head offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
And, now, dramatic change has ensued across the offensive line
To witness, one week through the free agency signing period:
The Texans traded Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, the highest paid player on the roster, largely for financial and draft capital reasons. Tunsil’s time in Houston ended as he was traded to the Washington Commanders this week along with a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick, 2025 seventh-round pick, 2026 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round selection. per a source. Although penalties and not being a vocal leader were minor factors in the decision, sources emphasized that Tunsil’s play, practice frequency and quieter leadership style were not regarded as enough of a factor alone to seek a trade. It was primarily about getting the maximum value in exchange for Tunsil, who turns 31 in August and was expected to seek another top-of-the-market contract extension. So, the Texans opted to move on now and reboot the offensive line.
The Texans released veteran right offensive guard Shaq Mason after he struggled mightily last season. It was a football decision, sources said, noting how he allowed at least 10 sacks last season. Saving $9 million against the salary cap as a post-June 1 designated release was just part of the reasons behind the move.
The Texans traded offensive guard Kenyon Green, a former first-round draft pick and Texas A&M consensus All-American and blue-chip recruit from Atascosita High School, to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for feisty, ballhawking safety C.J. Gardner Johnson. Green was among the lowest-rated guards in the NFL last season and was benched as he struggled to pick up blitzes and line stunts, especially against the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets.
They likely have their new starting left guard in former Pro Bowl selection Laken Tomlinson after adding the durable former Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings starter in free agency on an affordable one-year, $5 million deal.
Trading for former Minnesota Vikings starting guard and second-round pick Ed Ingram gives them a candidate for the starting right guard job, but he’s expected to face competition from Juice Scruggs or, potentially a rookie.
The Texans’ current plan at tackle is to shift Tytus Howard, a former first-round pick who played left guard last season, back to his natural left tackle position, per sources. That plan might change, though. They plan to give second-year tackle Blake Fisher, a second-round draft pick from Notre Dame who had his ups and downs in six starts to end last season, including allowing three sacks and multiple pressures against Kansas City, first crack at right tackle, sources said.
The primary next steps for the Texans’ offensive line plan will be to build through the draft. They hold the 25th overall pick of the first round, but are expected to address the position at any stage of the draft and, possibly, still in free agency with a swing tackle on their wish list.
“They’ll be drafting offensive linemen, probably at least two new ones,” a league source said. “The idea is to get younger and better.”
The Texans met with several top offensive linemen at the NFL scouting combine, including Alabama All-American guard Tyler Booker, North Dakota State guard and Senior Bowl all-star game standout Grey Zabel and Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. The Texans have also displayed interest in Texas All-American left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., a Summer Creek graduate who won the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award, and Ohio State offensive tackle Joshua Simmons. Both players could shift inside to guard, if needed.
Simmons’ recovery from a torn patellar tendon is going well and the medical is expected to check out well again before the draft.
“You’re gonna go and people are gonna say, ‘Oh, yeah, this is this type of injury,’ Simmons said at the combine. “You just can’t listen to that. You have to go into rehab and just kill it every day, being mad at every single rep in rehab, just getting your mindset ready to be back to the person that you’re working to become.”
Conerly has allowed just two sacks over the past two seasons and was a first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection.
LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell and Missouri tackle Armand Membou are expected to be drafted in the top half of the first round. The Texans have the draft capital flexibility to move up, if there’s someone they covet.
What does Ryans want to see from an offensive lineman, ideally?
“I look at offensive lineman, first and foremost, I’m looking at pass protection, how good is a guy in pass protection?” Ryans said. “For me, speaking offensive lineman, I want to see that grit. I want to see that toughness, that nastiness of how guys are finishing their blocks, what type of leaders these guys are, how passionate they are about football. That’s very important to me when it comes to the offensive linemen.”
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Inside the New England Patriots’ practice facility Caley and Popovich interacted for years while gaining knowledge from legendary coach Bill Belichick and one of the top offensive line coaches in NFL history in Dante Scarneccia.
The hope for the Texans is to improve in every area, in terms of coaching, philosophy, personnel and by everyone listening to one unified voice. Strausser contemplated retirement even before last season, per league sources, who added that he seemed checked out and unwilling to listen to input from players and staff. Ultimately, the product on the field reflected how the scheme didn’t fit the blockers tasked with carrying out the assignments.
“We can gain improvement,” Ryans said without getting into specifics for why the Texans dismissed Slowik and Strausser. “And that is ultimately why it came down to the decision to make the move, because I feel like we can improve and can get better.”
The lack of protection held back Stroud, costing him a valuable year of potential development. One year after joining Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to lead the league in passing yards per contest and touchdown-to-interception ration, Stroud’s interceptions jumped up to a dozen picks after the former second overall pick from Ohio State had just five interceptions in one of the top statistical seasons by a rookie ever.
“Getting better protection for C.J. is definitely a main point of emphasis for us,” Ryans said. “We know when C.J. is protected, he has a clean pocket, he’s a pretty good quarterback. I constantly show guys clips in our meeting after a game of plays when we protect well and we should we have a good pocket, I’ll show guys explosives, show outstanding throws that C.J. is able to make in the middle of the field, along the sideline.
“He’s capable of making any throw on the football field, but it’s just a matter of protecting him and giving him that comfort when he’s in the pocket. When we do that, we can move the ball, we can make plays. So that is a point of emphasis for us, of making sure he is protected better.”
Stroud was sacked 11 times in two playoff games, including three times in the wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers. He was pressured on over 50 percent of his drop-backs in the loss to the Chiefs, according to Next Gen Stats. Three of those sacks were allowed by overmatched tight end Dalton Schultz.
Not having enough time for Stroud to let his routes develop and grant receivers enough time to create separation created a negative trickle-down effect that impacted the defending AFC South champions. He dipped to 21 touchdown passes after throwing 23 touchdowns as a rookie.
Ryans has frequently cited having “one voice” in protection matters as being critical to improvement. Popovich will be a key figure in determining this pivotal point of emphasis for the offense.
“Cole’s got a lot of experience, he has been in league for a number of years,” said Texans general manager Nick Caserio, who shares a New England Patriots background with Popovich. “You’re not going based off of what players think, but they felt there was some positives and I’d say some of the offensive coordinators that we talked about had referenced Cole as somebody that they would want to potentially consider, separate from us. So, alright, well, the guys here, okay, does this makes sense?
“How does Nick Caley feel about it? How to a few other candidates that also had identified Cole. I think Cole was highly thought of in the league and the opportunity externally, away from Houston last year. He decided to stay in Houston, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m sure there’s some things that Cole was going to do kind of put his spin on it, but once we kind of get started, we’ll kind of have a better idea what that looks like.”
What the Texans are looking for from an offensive lineman involves several factors.
Major ones are pass protection, knowledge of the game, toughness, athleticism, and positional flexibility.
“I think the big thing is, can you get the players to do the right thing, to understand their assignment? Do they play the right with the right techniques? Do they play with the right fundamentals? Can they execute their assignment? Do they have an understanding of what’s going on?” Caserio said. “So, I don’t want to oversimplify it. Sometimes it’s like, they come up with some magic formula. You protect from the inside out, can you protect the interior to pocket? Can you identify the rushers that are the most threat? Do you have an answer or solution, what they’re doing on defense? So, we’ll do whatever we think makes the most sense.
“You guys were here a couple years ago, where we basically traded for three offensive linemen, signed another player, guys that weren’t even here. We weren’t even talking about in training camp. So, I mean, that’s just how it goes. So, you are prepared for anything. So, you got to start with the foundation. You got to start somewhere with the group, and then just kind of figure it out as you go.”
Caley, 42, was hired as the Texans’ new offensive coordinator after his time with the Los Angeles Rams and coach Sean McVay as a tight ends coach and passing game coordinator as the replacement for Slowik.
Popovich’s contract was expiring this offseason and now he’s back with the Texans after they hired Caley. Zach Yenser is back as assistant offensive line coach.
How Caley and Popovich instrument a, hopefully, sounder plan to keep Stroud healthy and standing will go a long way toward upgrading an offense that dipped to 22nd in total offense and 19th in scoring last season for a Texans squad headlined by its aggressive defense led by coach DeMeco Ryans.
“Cole as our offensive line coach to lead that room, just having one voice to lead it, I feel really strong about that,” Ryans said. “Cole helped a lot of our young players when it came to developing. He had a really great relationship with a lot of guys, and I think very highly of Cole and what he’s able to do. I think him having a prior relationship with Nick as well, and them being able to work together and them to hit the ground running instantly, I think that also lead to my decision, and I know we’ll be better for it.”
With the exception of Tunsil, there were continuity, performance and health issues throughout various parts of the season with the offensive line.
“I think it all starts up front obviously and it’s really all 11,” Caley said. “We all have to be in sync and I think protections starts with communication, trust and cohesiveness up front and really having clear rules in the protection system. We’re going to be going through that process.
“Obviously, I have a history with Cole dating back to my time in New England when he was our offensive line coach and I coached the tight ends. So, I have a really good working relationship and level of trust with Cole. He is a very good football coach and I’m excited to go through this process with him.”
Popovich is heading into his third season with the Texans. A former Fresno State starting offensive lineman, Popovich broke into the NFL as a coaching assistant in 2016 before being promoted to assistant running backs coach working with Sony Michel then being named co-offensive line coach when Scarneccia retired.
Popovich left the Patriots in the offseason for personal family reasons related to mandatory NFL Covid-19 vaccine regulations and coached high school football in Franklin, Massachusetts. He was then hired at Troy University as their head offensive line coach before joining the Texans and winning two consecutive AFC South division titles as part of Ryans’ first two seasons in Houston.
Both Popovich and Caley are big believers in Scarneccia, who was known for his hard-nosed, fix-it, get-it-right approach protecting star quarterback Tom Brady.
“Sure, Dante Scarnecchia. I was with Dave DeGuglielmo in 2015, very good coach,” Popovich said. “Dante Scarnecchia, longtime New England coach, influenced a lot of what I’ve obviously learned up front in the protection systems. Then been a part of other ways of doing it too. But yeah, in terms of my, informative stages, it would be my early years in New England, obviously with those two.”
One of the reasons why the Texans had so many issues was a lack of clear communication and scheme plans for blitzes and stunts. That was particularly glaring in a road loss to the Green Bay Packers. Against the Tennessee Titans, the line was overwhelmed by the powerful charge of interior defensive linemen Jeffery Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat during a regular-season upset loss at NRG Stadium. The Baltimore Ravens’ speed off the edge and stunts gave the Texans a lot of issues during an embarrassing 31-2 loss on Christmas.
#Commanders Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil @KingTunsil78 says goodbye and thank you to Houston #Texans @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 13, 2025
'Houston, you welcomed me as one of your own, and, for that, I will always be grateful' @DivineTreee pic.twitter.com/QzhfeZyPKL
Cohesiveness was in short supply for the Texans. And Caley is determined to change that, immediately.
“With the offensive line, the quarterback, obviously the halfback, you got to be able to see the game through the same set of eyes,” Caley said. “You got to be going in the same direction, and you got to be tied together. That’s starts with communication.
“It starts with protecting inside out and establishing a pocket, the depth of the pocket, the width of the pocket, and that extends, obviously, in the tight ends, receivers, when you’re chipping and stuff like that. But, it does, it really starts inside out, and it starts seeing it through the same lens. We all have to be coordinated in that.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
