Texans Veteran Says 'Sky Is Not the Limit' for Aireontae Ersery

The Houston Texans are entering the 2026 season with an offensive line that already looks like it could be better than the year before.

While part of those strides forward rely on some external additions through the draft and free agency, some of that relies on internal development–– and no one on the Texans' offensive line will be relying on that more than second-year left tackle Aireontae Ersery.

Ersery, a 6-foot-6, 330-pound, second-rounder from 2025, showed some appealing signs in his first year starting on the Texans' offensive line. And at just 24 years old with a full offseason to get stronger and more refined, he'll be able to lead Houston's protection to be even better for C.J. Stroud under center and this improved run game headlined by David Montgomery.

Trent Brown, the Texans' veteran swing tackle who was just brought in on a new one-year, $7 million deal for 2026 earlier in the week, is more than confident in what Ersery brings to the table, and even sees a bit of himself in the second-year tackle when looking at his career trajectory.

"I think with him having all of the success and promising play that he had last year. For me, I know at that point in my career, the switch kind of flipped a little bit like, 'Oh, I can do this," Brown said of Ersery, via SportsRadio 610. "So, I think he comes in with that much more confidence. I'm excited to see it."

“I see a lot of myself in him... The sky is not the limit for him," Brown continued. “I think he can have as much success as he wants in this league. He has the opportunity to be here for a really long time. That doesn’t happen a lot with a lot of people's careers, to play in one place your whole career. There would be no better place to do it than here.”

Trent Brown Sees Tons of Potential in Aireontae Ersery

Headed into 2026 where Ersery projects to start at left tackle once again, he's certainly got some room to improve. He finished his rookie season grading out as the 58th-best tackle per PFF with a 58.9 grade, and was near the bottom-10 among 89 eligible tackles for run blocking grade at 51.8.

Another factor in which the second-year tackle will be trying to get better at: Ersery struggled consistently with penalties throughout the season, with 11 logged flags to his name throughout 2025, the ninth-worst among 89 eligible tackles. He also allowed eight total sacks throughout the year, the most on Houston's line.

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery (79) is introduced before playing against the Las Vegas Raiders at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Ersery has the physical upside and the time to really hone in as a big-time asset on the Texans' offensive line at a premium position. But now is a major time for the 24-year-old tackle to get right before his second year officially gets underway, where his individual success will be imperative to their offensive success as a whole.

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