Texans Urged to Move On From Former Second-Round Pick

The Houston Texans have managed to hit on a number of draft picks throughout the DeMeco Ryans era to help get their roster to the point where it is now.

In 2023, the Texans came away with a pair of franchise cornerstones in C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. In 2024, their secondary was bolstered with their first two days of the draft with selections of Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock. And in 2025, Houston kept building up their young core even without a first-round pick with quality additions like Jayden Higgins and Woody Marks.

But in that collection of hits that have come aboard the roster, the Texans also swung and missed on a few selections throughout the past three drafts in the Ryans era–– one of those key misses being 2023 second-round offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.

And in the eyes of ESPN's Aaron Schatz, Scruggs' lackluster three seasons with the Texans might have now placed him in prime position to be on his way out this offseason, naming him the one candidate on Houston's roster most likely to find a change of scenery.

"Scruggs was a second-round pick in the 2023 draft but missed the first 10 games of his rookie season with a hamstring injury," Schatz wrote. "He has been in and out of the lineup ever since -- and has yet to reach his potential. Scruggs started most of the 2024 campaign but ranked 32nd out of 33 qualifying players for pass block win rate as a center (89.8%). His 64.3% run block win rate also was poor."

"Last season, Scruggs had only one start and mostly appeared on special teams; he was a healthy scratch in one of Houston's two playoff games. Perhaps in the final year of his rookie contract another team could figure out the skills that made him a high draft pick to begin with."

Could the Texans Move On From Juice Scruggs?

After being a high-potential selection for Houston's offensive line troubles in 2023, and a interior lineman that could grow alongside their franchise guy under center in Stroud, Scruggs hasn't been able to find his footing as the quality starting NFL guard that he was projected to develop into coming out of Penn State.

He's faced injury, hasn't been consistent in his opportunities, and as of his third season with the Texans in 2025, only started in one game upfront, that makes a clear admission surrounding Houston's lack of confidence in him as a starting option moving forward.

Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans center/guard Juice Scruggs (70) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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So when factoring in the upside of Scruggs still being 26 years old and having the status of being a second-round pick on his resume, there's a world where another team could look to add him to their roster and try to breathe some life back into his NFL career.

Financially, moving on from Scruggs doesn't move the needle much for the Texans. If he's cut or traded before June 1st, the team can save $1.5 million against the cap.

That's not much to incentivize Houston to free up a ton of money on the books by cutting ties with him, but if Houston can move on from him in a trade that brings in any type of value via draft capital, even as late as a sixth or seventh round pick, that's certainly an option that Nick Caserio would look towards if a straight release is the alternative.

That outcome for Scruggs remains to be seen, but it really wouldn't be a surprise to see the Texans cut ties with the former day-two pick after three seasons.