Demeco was clear at the combine they were going to focus on OL. I wouldn't be surprised to see us spend in FA over resigning Tytus. Tytus is fine, but he's not star and doesn't appear to be a leader, so it's time to find a replacement.

Still plenty of time for other moves but do we have 1 starting OL on the roster right now? Man, that's a lot of holes to fill. I really don't want to go into this season starting any rookies on the line.

JCA1 said:

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Still plenty of time for other moves but do we have 1 starting OL on the roster right now? Man, that's a lot of holes to fill. I really don't want to go into this season starting any rookies on the line.

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It's looking like rookies or cheap JAGs are what we'll have outside of our current roster to fill those spots.

Faustus said:

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JCA1 said:

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Still plenty of time for other moves but do we have 1 starting OL on the roster right now? Man, that's a lot of holes to fill. I really don't want to go into this season starting any rookies on the line.

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It's looking like rookies or cheap JAGs are what we'll have outside of our current roster to fill those spots.

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Judging by the article I read on espn, Howard has been a JAG the past 3 years, just not a cheap one.

I think this is the issue with getting too wrapped up in advanced stats.

There is no way Howard is "Just a guy".

His run blocking is pretty average for a starter but his pass blocking is elite.

The fact that he moved around to 3 different spots all year and achieved this is even more impressive.



We can argue this is a pure cost cutting move, but who are we going to get to fill all these gaps in our line without spending money?

Never forget when Tytus let a guy run right by and tried to take the ball out of CJ's hands.

Well, Browns fans are excited that management seems to be trying to address the OL problem. Meanwhile, Texans fans are still trying to figure out what the plan might be for addressing the OL problem.

Just be patient. I'm sure the brilliant plan will shake out and come to fruition over the next few months.

The fact that the trade involves the Browns makes me think we're probably getting the best of it. The Browns' track record on trades is like the LA Clippers' 80s-90s draft success.

Plus when you've lived through the DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson trade experience, you never think "that's the worst trade in franchise history" when you hear something that seems uneven.

oh no said:

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guesses on the nickname that tries to stick for the Woody Marks and David Montgomery duo?



...and wtf is the plan for OL?

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We are going to require the other team to count to "5 Mississippi" before they can rush the QB.

pagerman @ work said:

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oh no said:

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guesses on the nickname that tries to stick for the Woody Marks and David Montgomery duo?



...and wtf is the plan for OL?

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We are going to require the other team to count to "5 Mississippi" before they can rush the QB.

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Maybe the plan for CJ is if he doesn't survive his 5th season, you won't have to worry about a contract extension.

I wasn't a huge Howard fan but he was serviceable, which was more than you could say for 3/5 of the line. Finding 3 new OL was going to be tough and now we need to find 4. And then there's the whole integrating them all into the system, developing a rapport, and basically learning to play together in short order. That doesn't strike me as a recipe for success in the year we have to make a decision on CJ.

JCA1 said:

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That doesn't strike me as a recipe for success in the year we have to make a decision on CJ.

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...and just like that... the strategy starts to come to light.

JCA1 said:

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I wasn't a huge Howard fan but he was serviceable, which was more than you could say for 3/5 of the line. Finding 3 new OL was going to be tough and now we need to find 4. And then there's the whole integrating them all into the system, developing a rapport, and basically learning to play together in short order. That doesn't strike me as a recipe for success in the year we have to make a decision on CJ.

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Between Tytus, Shaq, Cam, and assuming Kirk we will have about 50 million in dead money on the offensive side of the ball.

https://www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi/news/houston-texans-christian-kirk-trending-towards-offseason-split

https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/houston-texans#google_vignette

So $50 million of cap space for players not playing for us on offense and we need 4 OL. Someone needs to catch a clue to help out CJ.

We finally found a place where Caserio is elite, other than smug word salad responses...one of the tops in the league in dead cap spending.

I think the dead cap makes sense to accelerate. Those should fall off after this year when the WAJ and CJ deals come online.

I don't mind the Kirk dead money because we needed a vet WR other than Nico, it just didn't work out. The OL has been cause for concern and if they can't get it right this offseason, then Caserio should be on the hot seat.

Mixon dead cap is 2M vs 10M if on roster, so a savings there of $8M.

JCA1 said:

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I wasn't a huge Howard fan but he was serviceable, which was more than you could say for 3/5 of the line. Finding 3 new OL was going to be tough and now we need to find 4. And then there's the whole integrating them all into the system, developing a rapport, and basically learning to play together in short order. That doesn't strike me as a recipe for success in the year we have to make a decision on CJ.

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yeah in a vaccum this isn't a huge deal, but he was the most dependable player on the line and far from being the problem. he was also a player that put the team first and moved all over the line when asked, probably to the detriment of his bank account. the more that comes out about the dead money, the more i think this couldn't have even been about his cap number as i'm fairly certain the trade hurts the cap situation more than extending him would have assuming they structured it right. it was just to get an extra pick to put toward david montgomery apparently. and now the colossal task of getting the line fixed just got a lot more difficult than i think a lot of people are appreciating, and it's entirely a problem of their own making. the issue isn't so much about the player it's that they just made a near impossible task so much more difficult when they didn't have to. for a rb. when aaron jones became available just a few hours later and wouldn't require a trade at all. it's just very houston texans of them

Moving on from Tytus was telegraphed last year. They restructured his contract in such a way that they had to get rid of him or extend him this year. The 5th in return is probably indicative of his contract situation as well.

The only real surprise is that it wasn't a post June 1st move, but I guess they wanted to accelerate the losses rather than have those on the books next year.

If we would have had Montgomery 2 months ago, we might have beaten the Patriots by running the Wildcat.

Montgomery turns 29 in June

We only need 2-3 years out of him before the next window may start. Thats assuming cj ends up being a bust. Really just need 2. Or we are back to qb purgatory

Kind of funny given the tenor of our posts here, but ESPN gives us an A- on the TH trade (D+ for the Browns) and a D for the RM trade (A for the Lions).

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47911726/2026-nfl-free-agency-grades-signings-trades-latest-best-worst-deals-draft-outloo

Quote:

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. . .
Houston's running game was abysmal in 2025, ranking 31st in EPA per designed carry. Their running back play wasn't ideal, but the biggest culprit of that poor performance was an offensive line that ranked 32nd in run block win rate. Though Marks averaged only 3.6 yards per carry, he still recorded 31 rush yards over expected, another sign that the offensive line was the problem.
. . .
By 2025, those numbers dropped to 37% and 158, respectively, despite playing in 17 games. Montgomery's receiving work was also limited because of Gibbs -- as his 24 receptions last season were nowhere close to the 54 he once caught with the Bears in 2020.

Montgomery's contract is reasonable: It'll cost Houston $6 million in cash this year (and $9 million nonguaranteed next year) if left untouched. But that does not mean this was a smart acquisition. An aging (29 years old in June), early-down back whose prior team had been phasing him out is not worth spending real resources on. It surprises me that Detroit was able to lure a four-seven swap here since the Texans could have found comparable expected production for far less.
. . .
Scruggs has one year left on his rookie deal, but the draft picks should be more than enough here for the Lions. They can use that capital to find another running back to complement Gibbs late in the draft or find a low-cost veteran in free agency. It's as easy a win as the Lions will find all offseason.
. . .
One starting offensive lineman down, four more to go for the Browns. In acquiring Howard, an offensive tackle who has occasionally kicked inside to guard in his seven NFL seasons, Cleveland starts the massive rebuild of its offensive line. But was it worth it? I have a hard time seeing how.
. . .
Howard ranked in the 24th percentile in pass block win rate at tackle and the 31st percentile in run block win rate at tackle last season. He was also below average in both in 2024. That hasn't always been the case -- Howard ranked in the top 10 overall in pass block win rate at tackle in 2021 and 2022. But we're several seasons removed from that, and he scored poorly in run blocking in each of those seasons.

So the Browns are likely getting a below-average starter. And he isn't cheap. Howard is slated to make $17.5 million in 2026 (the final year of his deal) and is now signing a two-year, $45 million extension, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
. . .
But is this where they want to spend their resources, dealing a fifth-round pick to pay what might be an over-market deal for a below-average starter? That's not how I'd want to kick off the offseason.

This continues a recent pattern of offensive line turnover for the Texans, but I don't mind this move for them. Houston needs better blocking, both to protect quarterback C.J. Stroud and generate a running game to support him. It was last in the NFL (32nd) in run block win rate, 30th in pass block win rate and 26th in yards gained before contact on running back rushes last season.

Howard played both right tackle and left guard for the Texans, who have plenty of open spots along the offensive line, with both Ed Ingram and Trent Brown set to be free agents. They'll need to add offensive line help at some point and must set aside money to pay edge rusher Will Anderson Jr -- and probably Stroud, too. So getting a fifth-round pick to not pay Howard seems like good business.
. . .

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Hopefully we'll be able to hit on a below average starter to replace Tytus and not FA disasters like Cam or Lakeith who everyone knew sucked but hoped coaching could cure.

as I mentioned earlier, this grade seems to be based completely in ESPN's internal analytics.

I'm no expert, but have a hard time believing this "pass block win rate" with Howard's performance last year. How can you be top in the league in QB pressures % allowed, give up zero sacks, and be ranked this low?

Can't find the actual rankings for ESPN linemen past the first 20, so who knows.

Quote:

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Howard ranked in the 24th percentile in pass block win rate at tackle and the 31st percentile in run block win rate at tackle last season. He was also below average in both in 2024. That hasn't always been the case -- Howard ranked in the top 10 overall in pass block win rate at tackle in 2021 and 2022. But we're several seasons removed from that, and he scored poorly in run blocking in each of those seasons.

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Hope I'm wrong but don't see how we pick up 4 starters in free agency. Seems we're destined to be starting at least 1 rookie on the line.

NM

Diggity said:

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as I mentioned earlier, this grade seems to be based completely in ESPN's internal analytics.

I'm no expert, but have a hard time believing this "pass block win rate" with Howard's performance last year. How can you be top in the league in QB pressures % allowed, give up zero sacks, and be ranked this low?

Can't find the actual rankings for ESPN linemen past the first 20, so who knows.

Quote:

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Howard ranked in the 24th percentile in pass block win rate at tackle and the 31st percentile in run block win rate at tackle last season. He was also below average in both in 2024. That hasn't always been the case -- Howard ranked in the top 10 overall in pass block win rate at tackle in 2021 and 2022. But we're several seasons removed from that, and he scored poorly in run blocking in each of those seasons.

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I agree. There's a reason Tytus received a 2 year extension of 20 million plus and the Browns gave up draft capital, and it wasn't because he sucked.

Tytus provides good pass pro and Sanders needs it. CJ does too, but OL isn't something we're willing to devote cap space to (unless it's dead) under the current regime. If you're good enough to demand upper $ you're too good for our O line.

Hopefully we disprove that this offseason.

Browns get a veteran in his 7th year with 93 NFL starts under his belt across several OL positions... instead of drafting a rookie and feeling pressure to start him right away.

Texans must be looking for something or someone else to fill four spots.

oh no said:

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Browns get a veteran in his 7th year with 93 NFL starts under his belt across several OL positions... instead of drafting a rookie and feeling pressure to start him right away.

Texans must be looking for something or someone else to fill four spots.

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One would think that they would not move Howard unless they felt very good about free agency or a trade candidate. One would think.

Unfortunately, the aftermath of the Tunsil trade doesn't inspire confidence they had a plan in place then.

oh no said:

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Browns get a veteran in his 7th year with 93 NFL starts under his belt across several OL positions... instead of drafting a rookie and feeling pressure to start him right away.

Texans must be looking for something or someone else to fill four spots.

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The browns don't have a single returning lineman signed, so they desperately need starting oline experience going into next year. That's the reason they were willing to sign him to a large extension.

I imagine the Texans probably feel good about resigning Ingram (pure guess), and have targets at the other 3 spots with Fisher as a fall back at RT (he looked better the 2nd half of the year).

So I imagine there odds a plan, just like Tonsil. The question will be, is it a good plan, which only time will tell

ESPN sources: Bears Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman has informed the team that he is retiring from the NFL at age 27. Dalman left Stanford in 2021, and after four seasons in Atlanta and one in Chicago, he has made the sudden and surprising decision to retire. pic.twitter.com/SKJcXa1res

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2026

Damn, the center FA market just got worse

IrishAg said:

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ESPN sources: Bears Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman has informed the team that he is retiring from the NFL at age 27. Dalman left Stanford in 2021, and after four seasons in Atlanta and one in Chicago, he has made the sudden and surprising decision to retire. pic.twitter.com/SKJcXa1res

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2026

Damn, the center FA market just got worse

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Quite a few parallels to Andrew Luck retiring early, although I don't know of Dalman having any significant injuries.

Nonetheless:

Both he and Luck graduated Stanford
Both of their fathers were NFL vets. Dalman's dad Chris played 8 years with the Niners and won a Super Bowl. Oliver Luck played 5 years with the Oilers.
Both played the same position as their dads. Chris Dalman alternated between G and C in his career, but spent the last 3 years starting at C.

CharleyKerfeld said:

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IrishAg said:

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ESPN sources: Bears Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman has informed the team that he is retiring from the NFL at age 27. Dalman left Stanford in 2021, and after four seasons in Atlanta and one in Chicago, he has made the sudden and surprising decision to retire. pic.twitter.com/SKJcXa1res

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2026

Damn, the center FA market just got worse

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Quite a few parallels to Andrew Luck retiring early, although I don't know of Dalman having any significant injuries.

Nonetheless:

Both he and Luck graduated Stanford
Both of their fathers were NFL vets. Dalman's dad Chris played 8 years with the Niners and won a Super Bowl. Oliver Luck played 5 years with the Oilers.
Both played the same position as their dads. Chris Dalman alternated between G and C in his career, but spent the last 3 years starting at C.

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Sounds like both are smart enough to try and outrun the impending CTE that football can bring.

The Texans and All-Pro G Wyatt Teller have mutual interest 👀

(Via @AaronWilson_NFL) pic.twitter.com/L8T8XxPe9X

— Nick Schwager (@nickschwager_) March 4, 2026

Also, I didn't realize how much Casario set us up for space next year

Texans in 2027 have over 187 mill in cap space lol Nick hasn’t leveraged the future at all into building one of the best rosters in the league https://t.co/mM5ehhbvhF pic.twitter.com/c0cJY11ZwW

— GM Sanchez (@masanchez10) March 3, 2026

IrishAg said:

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Also, I didn't realize how much Casario set us up for space next year

Texans in 2027 have over 187 mill in cap space lol Nick hasn’t leveraged the future at all into building one of the best rosters in the league https://t.co/mM5ehhbvhF pic.twitter.com/c0cJY11ZwW

— GM Sanchez (@masanchez10) March 3, 2026

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Hopefully Stroud is gone and they get a game manager - win/win.

IrishAg said:

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The Texans and All-Pro G Wyatt Teller have mutual interest 👀

(Via @AaronWilson_NFL) pic.twitter.com/L8T8XxPe9X

— Nick Schwager (@nickschwager_) March 4, 2026

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Ok down to 3 spots to fill in OL now