It’s no secret the Houston Texans need help on the offensive line.
Second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked 52 times during the regular season and 11 times in the playoffs. Eight of those came at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Houston was defeated by the Chiefs but they could get a measure of revenge this offseason by going after free agent guard Tyler Smith. Fresh off his first Pro Bowl, the sixth-round pick out of Tennessee is set to cash in and will have no shortage of suitors.
Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team identified five landing spots for Smith, with Houston making the cut. He states the pending free agent can help take pressure off Stroud not just as a pass protector. Smith’s presence would help the Texans improve on the ground followed an inefficient season of run blocking.
”One of the biggest ways the Texans can relieve some of the pressure on their young quarterback, C.J. Stroud, is to continue running the football. Joe Mixon may have rushed for more than 1,000 yards with 11 rushing touchdowns, but the Texans ranked just 31st in run block win rate this season, making things that much harder for the veteran running back.” — Brooke, The 33rd Team
Joe Mixon topping 1,000 yards is even more impressive when realizing the Houston O-line was just as bad — if not worse — against the run than the pass. Even with his efforts, there were times the run game disappeared making the offense one-dimensional.
Adding Smith won’t correct all the issues they have but it would be a huge step in the right direction. Of course, the Texans would need to free up cap space to make it work but Mixon expects general manager Nick Caserio to have a plan.
Mixon went as far as to say there would be “fireworks.” Signing a guard might not seem like that type of addition but it could help others provide more of a spark.