LOS ANGELES – Texans starting right offensive guard Ed Ingram has been officially ruled out due to an abdomen injury that limited him in practice this week.
Ingram made the trip and attempted to play, but it was determined that he needed to miss Sunday’s season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
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His injury is expected to trigger a line shuffle. The most likely scenario would be shifting right tackle Tytus Howard to right guard where he began training camp. And rookie Aireontae Ersery, who won the starting right tackle job and then the left tackle job, would shift back to right tackle.
And veteran Cam Robinson, who signed a one-year, $14.5 million maximum value deal in the offseason, would plug in at left tackle next to left guard Laken Tomlinson and center Jake Andrews.
It’s a tough test for the Texans’ overhauled line.
Jared Verse personifies aggressiveness, nonstop hustle, skill and a relentless nature on the football field.
His speed to power bull-rushing techniques have steamrolled some of the bigger offensive tackles in the league.
He represents a serious problem for any offensive line, especially one experiencing watershed changes after trading five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil this offseason to the Washington Commanders.
It’s the Texans’ revamped offensive line’s primary blocking priority Sunday in a season-opener against the Rams’ talented front seven headlined by Verse, a pass rusher named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year last season as he finished fourth in the NFL in total pressures. Verse piled up 74 pressures during the regular season along with 20 quarterback hits, 14 tackles for losses, two forced fumbles and 6 1/2 sacks overall, including the playoffs.
“Jared Verse is a very exceptional player,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He plays the game the right way. He plays with a relentless motor, physical does a really nice job being disruptive, making negative plays in the backfield.
“You can tell the guy has a passion for football, high energy, makes a lot of plays, gets their group going. See him as definitely the best guy of that group. For us to have success on Sunday, we have to make sure we have eyes on No. 8 at all times.”
The Texans will have four new starters overall in terms of newcomers in Ersery, Tomlinson, the only former Pro Bowl selection from the group, center Andrews, and Howard, the one returning starter, albeit at a new position.
This game represents the first true litmus test of their efforts to improve as a group after a rough season last year. Under the leadership of offensive line and run game coordinator Cole Popovich, the Texans have emphasized toughness, physicality and communication.
“We have to develop that mindset and bring that intensity every day,” Howard said. “Being more of a leader, try to show guys the right way to do it, be that voice for the room and encourage guys. Technique, that’s the big thing. A lot of times last year, our technique fell short last year and put us in a lot of bad situations. So, coach Pop has been doing a great job of holding us accountable and holding everybody to a certain standard. He treats everybody the same.
It’s all a work in progress, and the Texans know what the priority is at SoFi Stadium: slow down Verse and don’t let him disrupt the game plan of offensive coordinator Nick Caley and keep star quarterback C.J. Stroud standing and safe in the pocket after he was sacked a career-high 52 times last season.
“There’s been questions all offseason about our offensive line,” Ryans said. “Everybody wants to know who’s going out there, who is this guy at this position, that position, it’s just a lot of talk that I’m, quite frankly, tired of talking about it.
“It’s time to go play and let’s see how our five matches up against a really great defensive line and that’s what we’ll see on Sunday. Let’s see how it all plays out. The silent tape will speak very loudly for all of our guys. So, you show up by what you put on tape. So, I’m excited to see what our tape is going to say when we’re flying back home on Sunday evening.”
Ryans is absolutely right. The proof of the Texans’ improvement in terms of blocking fundamentals and ability to adapt to blitzes and line stunts is pivotal to the overall progress of the team.
In a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, the struggles in pass protection were on full, ugly display: eight sacks and 14 quarterback pressures. That was a huge factor in the sixth AFC divisional round playoff defeat in franchise history.
That’s one reason why the Texans drafted Ersery, a massive and mobile 6-foot-6, 331-pound former Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year. Ersery, who has run the 40-yard dash in 5.01 seconds, stonewalled pass rushers during the preseason and held his own in practice against elite defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
After shutting down New York Giants rookie and first-round draft pick Abdul Carter last season against Penn State, Ersery is approaching the NFL the same way as he matches up across from the Rams’ highly-regarded defensive front.
“Just my style of play: physical,” Ersery told KPRC 2. “I heard some of the guys I know across the league when they play me that he gonna bring his lunch. So, we gotta bring our lunch money.
“Talented, young, hungry, whole defensive line, they all got a motor. We gotta go out there and overcommunicate, trust our God-given ability.”
Yes, and the Texans can’t let Verse and his teammates bully them out of that lunch money.
Progress has been made. How tangible that improvement is will be obvious Sunday. Stroud likes the mentality, a hard-nosed approach to the game he’s seen from his blockers.
“I think one thing about this group that I’m really proud of is that they’re dogs from left to right,” Stroud said. “I think everybody that we got there loves to play and plays really hard. The effort is there. I think we’ve got a great challenge.”
The Texans’ new linemen, including Tomlinson, Robinson and Ingram, allowed high pressure rates last season. The hope is that Popovich has instilled better technique and the line will play better collectively.
“We will see,” Ryans said. “I can talk about it all day, but I tell the guys all the time. When that ball is kicked off, all the talk, all the hype, it doesn’t matter. What are you going to do when that ball is kicked off? I want to see… We call it the silent tape. What does that say about you? How are you finishing every play? How are you swarming?"
They’ll need to swarm against Verse. He plays like he’s been shot out of a cannon. His motor is incredible.
“He’s got a competitive spirit, an energy about him that is extremely rare,” said Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley, who was with the Rams coaching staff the previous two seasons. “There’s no secret to why he’s had the success he’s had so early in his career.”
Ersery is a key to the Texans’ overarching goal to build a better offensive line.
"He’s a big, strong guy," Popovich said. “He’s a strong tackle that has good power, he can sink and anchor. We really liked a lot of the stuff that he showed and he played the game with some toughness. I think that stood out on the tape."
Verse and Braden Fiske gave the Texans a lot of issues last year during a joint training camp practice.
Besides Verse and Fiske, the Rams’ defensive front features defensive tackle Poona Ford, edge rusher Byron Young and interior lineman Kobie Turner. There are no easy assignments.
The offensive line has been characterized as the biggest question mark on the defending AFC South champions’ roster. How all of the changes work out will have a large hand in determining whether this team can make a long playoff run. To say they’re hungry to prove themselves is a vast understatement.
“We’ve got a chip on our shoulders and people underestimate what we’re going to be this year, but, you know that’s their problem,” Howard said. “When that first game comes and we come off that ball and hit them in the mouth, like they’re gonna be, ‘These guys are for real.’
“Every day isn’t gonna be perfect. But I’m telling you when that game comes and they see what the offensive line is about, we’re going to be ready."
Howard has one word for the stamp Popovich is placing on the offensive line: “Nasty.”
“You gotta play with a lot of grit,” Howard said. “When offensive lines are physical that don’t take (expletive) from nobody and they just establish, the dominance up front, he exemplifies that every morning, every day on the field And you want that in the coach because you’re only gonna rub off on the offensive line and he holds us to a high standard."
Howard has emerged as a leader for the revamped offensive line.
Playing the the game with aggressiveness and strength, Howard looks right at right tackle.
“I think Tytus, his presence is felt at tackle,” Stroud said. “He’s doing a really good job being firm in protection, using his hands, using his length. I think he’s done a great job. He is also going to let you know about it too, which I think is cool. He’s a dog.
“So, I’m really happy for that guy, really proud of him. He wants to have a great year. He told me he wants to be a Pro Bowler this year. He has a lot of expectations for himself. He’s answering that.”
Stroud can feel the difference as he stands tall in the pocket, and in a developing running game.
“Definitely, it’s a pop every time the ball snapped,” Stroud said. “It starts with Jake. Jake has done a good job of IDing things. Him and Laken are like the first ones to kick it off.
“Ed is right there, Tytus is right there, ‘Tae,’, it’s a group that’s a lot of dogs. So, I’m really happy that we’re able to run the ball like we have because that opens up everything else.”
The Texans traded Tunsil to the Commanders in a move largely based on financial reasons, but he was also prone to more false starts than anyone else in the league.
Ersery is a difference-maker with his size and sound technique.
“I would say he’s really polished in a lot of areas,” Stroud said. “He came in polished and naturally got a good ability to pass protect. I think in the run game, he’s got his feet under him and using his power to his advantage, his strength.
“So, you see him moving guys back. You see him using double teams to his advantage, using his leverage. I think he’s done great in pass protection, but he’s taking a step in the run game.”
Howard, 29, is one of the most experienced linemen on the Texans’ roster. He is embracing this leadership role.
“I’m all in on that,” Howard said. “I’m doing the best I can do to transform my body, transform my daily habits, all that to show the younger guys the right way to do it.
“I’m looking forward to that challenge of being that leader in the group. And I want to be a guy that the guys look up to and they’re like, ‘Hey man, Tytus is doing it the right way and I want to do it that way.’ So, I’m gonna look forward to it."
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
.@HoustonTexans @Aireontae_69 played 10 snaps and helped the Texans go 10 plays. 74 yds. and a TD. Seemed like every run ran right behind the former @GopherFootball #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/aiITJLpUgu
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 12, 2025