Texans OT Has Hand Surgery, Expected Back This Season

One starter on the Houston Texans' offensive line has undergone hand surgery following the events of their Week 16 game vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, Texans starting left tackle Aireontae Ersery had surgery to repair a broken hand, though he is currently still expected to return this season.

"Ersery broke his thumb against the Raiders, per NFL sources, and underwent surgery Tuesday with metal hardware inserted to aid the healing process," Wilson wrote.

"Once his hand heals, Ersery may attempt to play with a protective club on his hand. Ersery is currently expected to return this season. The Texans and Ersery will have to gauge how he’ll handle the pain and how effective he can be with the injury."

Ersery, the Texans' 48th-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, has been a key piece of Houston's offensive line throughout this season, having started each of their 15 games upfront, primarily on the left side.

Yet, he now finds himself dealing with a non-season-ending, but a bit concerning issue that could limit his availability in the coming weeks.

Aireontae Ersery Likely to Miss Time for Texans

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke on the status of both Ersery and Brown before this weekend's game vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, emphasizing a wait-and-see approach.

"We'll see how it goes," Ryans said ahead of facing the Chargers. "Of course, everybody knows we're banged up at tackle. We'll see. We're on a short week here. We'll see how that pans out for us."

Neither starting tackle wound up practicing for Houston's first-team practice before Week 17's matchup, which could be a sign of things to come for their availability on the road in Los Angeles.

The Texans are also dealing with an injury on the other side of their offensive line with right tackle Trent Brown, who left last weekend's game against the Raiders with a knee injury, though is listed day-to-day, per Wilson.

Oct 5, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery (79) defends against Baltimore Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson (95) during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

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With Ersery and perhaps Brown potentially scheduled to miss some time, it'll leave the Texans to make another shift on their offensive front in the meantime for a group that's remained relatively stable for the past several weeks.

As to who could see their roles shift as a result of Houston's banged-up offensive line, Tytus Howard, who's been a versatile chess piece on Houston's offensive line all season, could shift outside to tackle on either the left or right side, and 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher, who's started nine games this season already, could see a boost in opportunity once again.

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