The Texans are heading into Week 1 with an offensive line plan that looks a lot different than many expected when camp opened.
After months of churn, roster moves and speculation about how Houston would piece together the front, general manager Nick Caserio laid out the group the team is planning to roll out against the Buffalo Bills. The lineup is set to feature LT Aireontae Ersery, LG Keylan Rutledge, C Evan Brown, RG Evan Ingram and RT Trent Brown.
Caserio said this is essentially the same first-unit combination Houston has been using for the past two weeks, and he made it clear he likes both the starters and the depth behind them.
"We feel like we have the best five to put on the field," Caserio said of the Texans' starting offensive line. "That's why the group that's out there is probably going to be what's out there.
We have 10 [offensive linemen] on the roster now... Honestly, any one of those ten could probably play, be productive, and be competitive for our team."
"Feel like that's a good [starting] group. And then, we've got really good depth behind them.
So, we're going to take eight into the game each week... The ten guys we have here--other than Febechi [Nwaiwu]--have all played a lot of football.
And Febechi feels like a pretty good, young prospect that is only going to get better with the more reps he has, and the more time he has on task."
There’s a clear logic to the way Houston landed here. The group blends youth and experience, gives first-round rookie Keylan Rutledge a chance to start at guard instead of center, and keeps three starters from last season in the mix up front.
But the biggest surprise is who is not in the starting five.
Wyatt Teller, one of the Texans’ major veteran additions this offseason, is not opening the year as a starter. Braden Smith also won’t be in the lineup, but his situation is tied to the foot injury he suffered in camp. He’s expected to miss a few weeks, and he’ll start the season on injured reserve.
That keeps Trent Brown at right tackle for now, where he was last season, while Smith works his way back into the picture after signing with Houston to handle that job.
Teller’s path has been different. He didn’t have Smith’s injury issue, but he still ended up as a backup rather than a starter at either guard spot. Instead, Evan Brown gets the nod, despite signing with Houston on a one-year, $3 million deal compared with Teller’s two-year, $16 million contract.
That outcome points to a slow start for Teller after many had penciled him in as an automatic starter when he arrived. The Texans clearly expected him to be a major upgrade on the interior, but he has not locked down a spot, and the move to left guard from the side he knew in Cleveland never fully materialized.
For now, Houston appears to have settled on its first five. That can always change once the season gets rolling, but the Texans’ opening offensive line picture is now much clearer than it was just a few weeks ago.
In Other News...
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Boutte arrives in Houston with 33 catches for 551 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, a resume that suggests he can do more than simply fill a roster spot. The Texans were looking for depth, but they also needed versatility and a player who can step in without forcing the offense to change too much, and this move at least gives them a clearer answer while the rest of the receiver room settles itself. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Keep Sending A Clear Message About C.J. Strouds Receivers
The Texans have kept busy trying to deepen the pass-catching options around C.J. Stroud, and their latest move came on the practice squad. Houston signed Mitchell Tinsley after he was cut by the Bengals, adding another receiver who has already bounced through a couple of NFL stops since going undrafted in 2023. Tinsley spent time with the Commanders and flashed a little production last season with eight catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
It is another small but telling step for a team that has continued to add bodies at receiver rather than stand pat. Houston also recently brought in Kayshon Boutte in a trade with the Patriots, a reminder that the Texans are still looking for the right mix behind Stroud. The names keep changing, but the message has been consistent: the club is not done sorting out that room. [Read more 🡒]