Texans Make Two Cutdown Day Trades to Reshape Offensive Line

The Houston Texans have made a couple of trades involving their offensive line: one to bring in a new offensive tackle, while another ships out one of their veteran interior offensive linemen.

According to The Ringer's Tom Pelissero, the Texans are trading Jarrett Patterson to the San Francisco 49ers. And according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Houston is acquiring Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Nate Thomas.

Source: The #Texans are trading for #Cowboys OT Nathan Thomas, adding some depth on their offensive line. He stays in-state. pic.twitter.com/8ggyouQlwt
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2026

Per KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, the Texans will be sending a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for Thomas, and will be receiving another 2027 seventh-round pick in return for Patterson.

It's a couple of moves that effectively shuffle around the Texans' depth on their offensive line. While they shed themselves of some of their interior depth, they bolster their tackle room by one more name.

Let's break down a bit more about what the Texans are getting in their newest tackle from the Cowboys, and why they might've made both moves ahead of Sunday's roster cutdown deadline:

What the Texans Are Getting in OT Nate Thomas

Thomas was the Cowboys' seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft at 233rd overall, having been a solid depth piece on Dallas' front throughout the 2025 season.

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound offensive tackle was active for all 17 games of the Cowboys' season, and even started in four games throughout the year as well: in Week 5 against the New York Jets, as well as Weeks 13 through 15 later in the season.

Aug 16, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Nate Thomas (71) in action during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before entering the NFL, Thomas had spent four seasons at Louisiana, having played in 30 total games, and started all 13 games as their left tackle for the 2024 season.

So he's been a solid depth piece through his short time in the NFL thus far, and will now continue his pro journey in-state with a team right across from Dallas in the Texans.

Why the Texans Traded for Nate Thomas, Traded Away Jarrett Patterson

The Texans' reason for bringing in Thomas is pretty simple to dig up when looking back at some of the team's recent events at the tackle position.

Their offseason signing of Braden Smith got injured in practice this past week with a foot issue, and is expected to miss the start of the regular season because of it.

Therefore, Houston has gone out to add more depth at tackle to kick off the year. Aireontae Ersery will be the one to start at left tackle, Trent Brown will fill in on the right side, and 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher will be a swing tackle that can back up both and plug in at either position.

As for Thomas, he's most likely to be the Texans' OT4, and slide in right behind Fisher as a developmental depth option.

When it comes to the Patterson trade, the 2023 sixth-round pick was somebody who was clearly on the roster bubble for the Texans without a clear tell of whether or not he was due to make the cut for a fourth-straight season.

Jul 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans center Jarrett Patterson (54) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Patterson has proven to be a serviceable interior lineman who has versatility to play either guard or center, the Texans have brought in some real competition for that same role throughout this offseason.

The Texans drafted interior offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge with their first round pick, and signed left guard/center Evan Brown in free agency that directly compete with Patterson for a roster spot.

Therefore, the Texans felt they had enough depth on their interior, saw an opportunity to deal him to San Francisco, and capitalize on some type of returning package, as opposed to a simple release to free agency.

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