Texans Announce Surprising Starting Offensive Line Plan to Begin Season

Throughout the course of the Houston Texans' training camp and preseason–– and really throughout the entire offseason–– there was much discussions made about what this team's plan would be on their offensive line to begin the year.

The last two years at the position have been less than ideal. The Texans were one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL in 2024, subtly improved in 2025, yet now are looking to forge together their best starting unit since C.J. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans arrived on the scene in 2023.

So the Texans have done a lot of work upfront throughout the past several months to change the narrative. The draft, free agency, and even a handful of trades were done for Houston's offensive line room to look the way it does now after 53-man roster cutdowns completed this weekend.

Now, after hearing from Texans general manager Nick Caserio after the dust has settled from those roster cuts, we have a good sense of who the first five starters will be once taking the field in Week 1 vs. the Buffalo Bills.

And based on initial expectations, the Texans' offensive front will be looking a little different than we once thought.

What to Expect From Texans' Starting Offensive Line

According to Caserio in his Tuesday press conference, the following five-man group will be the unit that the Texans are planning to roll with for the start of the new season:

LT: Aireontae Ersery

LG: Keylan Rutledge

C: Evan Brown

RG: Evan Ingram

RT: Trent Brown

Per Caserio, it's a similar setup that the Texans have been starting with their first-unit group for the last two weeks now. And when breaking down the outlook of what his offensive line room is made of as a whole, he's certainly pleased with what the starting and depth talent looks like around the group.

"We feel like we have the best five to put on the field," Caserio said of the Texans' starting offensive line. "That's why the group that's out there is probably going to be what's out there. We have 10 [offensive linemen] on the roster now... Honestly, any one of those ten could probably play, be productive, and be competitive for our team."

"Feel like that's a good [starting] group. And then, we've got really good depth behind them. So, we're going to take eight into the game each week... The ten guys we have here––other than Febechi [Nwaiwu]––have all played a lot of football. And Febechi feels like a pretty good, young prospect that is only going to get better with the more reps he has, and the more time he has on task."

You can see the rationale for why the Texans decided to go with this five over any others. There's a nice mix of youth and experience around the line, gives first-round rookie Keylan Rutledge an opportunity to both start and play at guard rather than center, and still keep on three starters from last season upfront.

At the same time, there are also some key changes to this group based on what initial projections had first hinted at. And both of those center around Houston not starting either of their big veteran free agent signings from earlier this offseason: Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith.

Wyatt Teller & Braden Smith Not Starting Week 1 for Different Reasons

Smith's situation is simple: he suffered a foot injury during training camp, is out for a few weeks as he recovers, and will begin his season on the injured reserve as a result.

That means, for the meantime, Trent Brown will remain the starter at right tackle where he was last season, and Smith will be battling back to claim those starting duties that he first signed to Houston for.

But Teller's case is a little different. He didn't suffer the same injury issues as Smith, yet still got left as a backup on the Texans' line, rather than a starter at either left or right guard.

Jul 31, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans guard Wyatt Teller (75) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Instead, it'd be another free agent signing from this summer in Evan Brown getting the call-up over the former Cleveland Browns All-Pro. For reference, he signed to the Texans this summer on a much smaller deal than Brown, with a one-year, $3 million contract.

That's a sign of poor performance and a slow start to camp from the veteran Teller. Many had suspected him to be a shoo-in starter upfront following his two-year, $16 million signing earlier this offseason, and a nice upgrade over what the Texans had on their interior last season.

But without being able to confidently transition to left guard compared to the right side he was familiar with in Cleveland, he's on the outside looking in of that starting picture until further notice.

So of course, things could always change in the days ahead of this season's kickoff. But based on what we know now, this Texans' starting offensive line could be pretty much settled.

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