Texans' free agent moves sparked debate. One analyst ranked their class 13th, praising secondary additions while questioning offensive line cohesion.
The Houston Texans have been among the more active teams in the NFL through trades and free agency. The volume of moves is noticeable, though not everyone is loving what the team accomplished.
The offseason has seen the Texans fill several needs as well as add or return some of the league's best players at various positions. Even so, one NFL writer believes the moves leave something to be desired.
ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak ranked his top free agent classes of the NFL offseason. Surprisingly, the Texans fell to No. 13 on the list. Here is what Solak had to say about the Texans' free agent haul.
"I loved: The Blankenship deal. The Texans' secondary was one Infinity Stone away from reaching maximal power, and that empty spot was the strong safety position. Blankenship isn't a perennial Pro Bowl talent, but he just needs to be a well-rounded, assignment-sound leader playing next to star young'uns like Calen Bullock, Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter. Blankenship signing for only $8.25 million per year mere days after Kam Curl got $12 million per year and Jalen Thompson got $11 million per year is a huge feather in Nick Caserio's cap.
I didn't love: The individual moves along the offensive line (even if I liked the number of moves made). It's good that the Texans continued hammering their line with options. They retained Trent Brown and signed Smith at tackle. They retained Ingram and signed Teller at guard. But I still struggle to figure out how it all comes together. They've typically prioritized supersized tackles ... so is Smith -- an undersized tackle -- really moving to guard? How does he fit with Teller and Ingram, then?"
Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith (72) blocks for Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack (25) during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jasen Vinlove-Imagn ImagesThe question over position fit is certainly fair to a degree. Few if any view Braden Smith as a massive difference maker compared to now Cleveland Browns tackle Tytus Howard, who the Texans traded away this offseason. Maybe it's not the worst thing that Smith was the addition though.
The veteran tackle was one of the better linemen in the league in the 2025 season even if there is question over how he fits at tackle. The important part of the signing is it brings in a capable and malleable player with a will to help the unit get better. And sometimes that translates more than the prototypical tackle.
The offseason is not over. The Texans may well draft another tackle in the first round to complete the haul. But one thing is for certain, Houston made the effort to improve the offseason line. The season will reveal if the effort was good enough to move the needle.