A torrent of free company strikes and draft selections made the Houston Texans the discuss of the NFL offseason from March to Could, constructing hype amongst a football-starved crowd and fanbase aching for a championship. Just lately, it’s felt like everybody has been aching for the Texans to interrupt by, with Tremendous Bowl predictions cropping up all over the place from Lance Zierlein to Aaron Schatz! It’s like Texans mania had swept the nation in June…that’s, till the Los Angeles Rams traded for DE Myles Garrett. Depart it to the Rams to steal the headlines and make some blockbuster commerce paying homage to their neighbors with the hardwood courtroom and gold-and-purple rise up.
Moreover L.A.’s tubthumping, Houston has assembled presumably their most full workforce so far by the 2026 offseason, signing veteran tackles and tight ends to enhance the “balance” of the offseason line, as Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley described in his interview with the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander:
“You always want balance, and each game is a little different,” Caley advised the Chronicle. “I think we found a way to even that out as the season progressed. So finding a way to do that. And balance doesn’t come necessarily in terms of a 50-50 run-pass ratio, but it’s also the usage of different players.”
That’s why Houston added a number of tight ends this offseason. The Texans signed veteran Foster Moreau to a two-year deal and drafted rookie Marlin Klein within the second spherical. Brevin Jordan can be getting back from a knee harm that ended his 2025 season earlier than it bought began. – Jonathan M. Alexander, “Exclusive: Why Texans OC Nick Caley is confident C.J. Stroud, offense will show improvement in 2026”
This inflow of recent blockers to regulate the sting on Houston’s offense has lots of followers bullish on the Texans getting into 2026. New offensive linemen like RT Braden Smith, LG Wyatt Teller, and rookie C/G Keylan Rutledge give loads of motive for optimism after final 12 months’s red-zone woes. However, on prime of these additions, the TE room Houston has assembled in 2026 has some analysts seeing pink, together with Battle Pink Weblog’s Nickschwager, who’s bullish on the place group to take an enormous step ahead. Possibly these new faces are all Nick Caley wanted to get his ground-game churning, however to me, these new gamers are solely half the story. Don’t get me incorrect – including all of those veterans and rookies will give the Texans’ entrance some actual tooth, however there’s one participant specifically that may springboard this group from plucky playoff underdog to true Tremendous Bowl Goliath: second-year LT Aireontae Ersery.
HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 02: Aireontae Ersery #79 of the Houston Texans drops again to dam throughout an NFL soccer sport in opposition to the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium on November 2, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photograph by Cooper Neill/Getty Photographs) Getty Photographs
Possibly the identify alone doesn’t get you out of your seat like one similar to Will Anderson Jr., however Aireontae Ersery’s place as CJ Stroud’s blindside protector holds simply as a lot worth as some other spot on the roster. As a rookie starter drafted within the second spherical of the 2025 NFL Draft, Ersery was given hefty duties instantly and did sufficient to carry his personal as a younger LT. He had cowboy-sized boots to fill when all-star Laremy Tunsil was traded to the Washington Commanders, and although Ersery was too sluggish and too handsy to be a go a Chanel-laiden Tunsil vibe test, he definitely put loads of groups on discover in 12 months one:
In his rookie season with the Texans in 2025, Aireontae Ersery performed in:
18 Begins (Together with Playoffs) – 17 Video games at LT, 1 at RT (Week 1)1,225 Snaps (Together with Playoffs) – 1,166 at LT, 59 at RT; 472 Run-Blocking Snaps, 753 Cross-Blocking Snaps7 Sacks Allowed, 11 Hits, 48 Complete Pressures, 13 Penalties58.9 PFF Grade (50.9 RBLK, 66.1 PBLK)
It’s not a shining report card, however given the circumstances, Ersery confirmed he could be a starter within the NFL. All of these pressures given up and penalties are onerous to swallow, however the majority of those got here within the first eight weeks of his NFL profession. Ersery countered this tough onset of the season with a wonderful run in November/December that coincided with Houston’s push into the NFL playoffs. I stated as a lot again in February in my Rookie Grades for the 2025 season:
He went from giving up three sacks in his first three video games to solely giving up 5 for the remainder of the season, locking down prime go rushers just like the Jaguars’ Josh Hines-Allen and the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby. Ersery carries with him lengthy, heavy arms that may hold even the largest defensive linemen at bay, and when he’s working in rhythm and selecting up velocity, Ersery is a harmful drive within the floor sport.
One more reason I’ve bought my coronary heart set on Ersery is the truth that he could lastly have some consistency on the LG place proper subsequent to him. The combo of former Texans LG/RT Tytus Howard and G/C Jarrett Patterson did an admirable job filling in for a disappointing, albeit quick run from veteran G Laken Tomlinson final 12 months, however they weren’t wiping defenders off the planet like incoming LG Wyatt Teller was with the Cleveland Browns a couple of years in the past. Teller has proven pro-bowl caliber means at guard, however whether or not or not he can return to the height of his powers since struggling nagging leg/ankle accidents stays to be seen. Teller performed beneath his excessive requirements in injury-shortened seasons the final two years, showing extra sluggish and stiffer than earlier than when on the sector. However, if he goes on an Ed Ingram-like renaissance in Houston, then Wyatt Teller might kind the muse that Aireontae Ersery stands on to succeed in the following stage. Heck, if Ersery steals a couple of run-blocking notes from Teller and incorporates them into his play type, he could even begin edging his means out of Tunsil’s shadow!
One factor Teller excels at that Ersery might be taught from is his velocity to getting in place on speeding performs and his drive after initiating a block. Teller’s toes merely by no means cease transferring, both to shortly arrange his MRAP of an higher physique or to help in driving defenders backwards. Ersery demonstrates the power and lower-body agility to deal with this activity, however, particularly in opposition to the Colts final 12 months, his run-blocking typically lacked this ferocity. Crucially, nonetheless, Aireontae Ersery has proven a capability to take care of his blocks whereas transferring laterally, which might pair very effectively with Wyatt Teller’s reward as a people-mover on zone-rushing performs or display passes.
And it’s right here the place Ersery’s progress may very well be world-changing for Houston’s offense. If he and Teller are capable of mix their powers to make speeding to the left facet simply as engaging as speeding to the precise facet of the offensive line, the workforce would possibly simply turn out to be unstoppable. On the very minimal, Houston would see their red-zone offense enhance, which might have been the distinction between 12-5 and 15-2 final season. If each gamers can keep wholesome, and if each gamers can mesh collectively as starters on the left facet of the offensive line, then the Texans could lastly remedy their conundrum up entrance. Ersery echoed as a lot in his feedback to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2:
“We’ve got the right guys to do it,” Ersery stated. “DeMeco says, ‘We want to run the football.’ We want to be downhill, pound the ball. The identity starts in the run. It takes a lot of pressure off of C.J. You know, we get the run game going. It opens up the passing game. Definitely excited. ..
“I think the sky’s the limit. Last year was last year. We put that to bed already. We are more focused on what this unit can do and what this unit can be. I think our unit can be very, very special, We have young guys flying around, making plays, wanting to hit people in the mouth. It’s been refreshing.” – Aireontae Ersery, chatting with Aaron Wilson, “How Texans left tackle Aireontae Ersery has improved significantly: ‘Confidence, right steps, right direction’”
Seeing an legitimately harmful ground-game on the identical offense as CJ Stroud? Appears like music to my ears! Actually…it nearly sounds too good to be true. It’s not possible that Wyatt Teller, Keylan Rutledge, Braden Smith and Aireontae Ersery will all excel as Texans in 2026; A significant harm or a tough season from one among these guys is sort of assured realizing Nick Caserio’s luck with the o-line. However, I might argue that even a modest enchancment to the place group might do wonders for Aireontae Ersery’s confidence going into 12 months two. Simply having a extra skilled inside lineman subsequent to him may very well be sufficient for him to drastically enhance in 2026, be that Wyatt Teller or Evan Brown. On prime of that, Ersery’s personal enchancment at protecting balanced and sticking to his defender throughout his rookie season might imply the sky is the restrict in 2026. Suffice to say, I believe the whole scenario surrounding Aireontae Ersery has improved since his rookie coaching camp. How a lot it’s improved is up for debate, however these adjustments alongside along with his progress since leaving Minnesota have given Ersery a runaway to a breakout marketing campaign in 2026 – one that might have a cascading impact on the offense and raise the whole franchise to incomparable heights.
What do you assume, although? Are you all-in on Aireontae Ersery this upcoming season, or are you continue to on the fence? Has Ersery confirmed his mettle, or is he nonetheless too inexperienced to be trusted as a starter? Tell us your ideas down within the feedback beneath!
