As the Texans keep rolling through their top 25 players for the 2026 season, one thing is becoming pretty clear: this offensive line has a real chance to look different. Aireontae Ersery, Wyatt Teller, Braden Smith and rookie Keylan Rutledge have already surfaced in the rankings, and now Houston’s most important blocker may be the one sitting at No. 14 - guard Ed Ingram.
That placement says plenty about what Ingram meant to the Texans last season and why the team moved quickly to keep him around. Houston signed him to a three-year, $37.5 million deal this offseason, a move that locked in a player who gave the line something it badly needed: stability. Ingram also brings the kind of run-game skill set the Texans want to lean on more heavily this year.
Last season, he backed up that value. Ingram ranked among the top 20 guards in the NFL via Pro Football Focus in 2025, and he was graded top-10 by PFF as a run blocker. He played with strong technique, used his hands well, and gave Houston a reliable presence inside during a season when the line had plenty of moving parts.
There are still areas he has to clean up. Ingram allowed four sacks over the 14 games he played, so pass protection remains the spot where he needs to keep climbing. The Texans are clearly betting that he can do that while staying one of the better run blockers at his position.
That bet makes sense, especially when you compare last season to what came before. Ingram was far more productive in Houston than he had been over three years with the Minnesota Vikings, and if this ranking had been made before last season, he likely wouldn’t have cracked the top 25 at all. Instead, he became one of the few steady weekly starters on an offensive line that was constantly being shuffled.
Houston’s interior depth also gives the team a fallback plan if Ingram ever misses time. Keylan Rutledge, who played mostly right guard in college, is expected to move to another spot at the next level, probably center, because of Ingram’s presence. If Ingram were unavailable, the Texans could slide Rutledge to right guard and use someone like Jake Andrews or Evan Brown at center to keep the interior functional.
That wouldn’t be ideal, but it would keep the unit afloat.
Now Ingram enters year two in Houston with a full season in the system, a full offseason with the same coaching staff and a chance to build on what he did in 2025. After last year’s leap, ranking him at No. 14 feels like a fair read on where he stands - and on how much the Texans are counting on him in 2026.
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His path to this point also fits the profile of a player who had to earn everything along the way, starting as an unranked high school prospect before becoming a walk-on at North Texas and later blossoming into an All-American at Oklahoma. For Houston, the appeal is obvious: a tough, flexible lineman who can help stabilize a position group where reliable depth is always at a premium. [Read more 🡒]
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Will Anderson Had The Perfect Response To LeBrons Viral Joke
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Anderson handled the whole thing in stride when asked about it, treating the comparison as more flattering than awkward. He also had a playful basketball opinion of his own, suggesting LeBron should take his talents to the San Antonio Spurs, a comment that added another layer to a lighthearted exchange that has kept Anderson in the conversation for reasons well outside football. [Read more 🡒]