Give us something for our troubles… anything
New offensive coordinator Nick Caley needs to shake up the offensive line. According to Spotrac, the Texans spend the second-most on their offensive linemen in the league. They account for 28.9% of the team’s total cap while being the team’s single biggest liability. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil while being statistically an upper-echelon lineman has not moved the needle on the offense as intended. It’s disgruntling when the highest paid player on the team also leads the team in penalties. While the interior of the offensive line let the entire team down, Tunsil consistently is allowing hurries and pressures which force Stroud up into the pocket where he’s duly crushed.
Simply put, Houston needs to move on from Tunsil and shift either Tytus Howard or second-year tackle Blake Fisher to the position. Unfortunately, the Texans can’t just pull the plug on Tunsil; cutting Tunsil would incur a whopping $17.5M cap hit at least. Instead, trading him is the better option; Houston receives commensurate trade compensation while saves cash – $13M to be exact. Only a few teams fit the bill as a potential trade partner:
- Willing and able to take on Tunsil’s behemoth contract
- Have a glaring need at left tackle
- Have the requisite draft capital to include in a trade
Let’s take a look at the five best fits for the Texans:
Washington Commanders
- Available Salary Cap: $79M (3rd most)
- 2024 LT: Brandon Coleman, PFF ranked: 63/81
- Draft picks: seven – 29, 61, 79, 147, 204, 237, 249
- LT team need: high
- Why they fit: A star-struck team with plenty of cash, a young QB, a budding roster, and plenty of enthusiasm… sound familiar? The Commanders season was historic, unpredictable, and unprecedented. They are losing a significant number of free agents, but could stand to improve upon rookie Brandon Coleman. They have the draft picks, winning-window, and salary to absorb Tunsil’s contract and enter a “win now” mode.
Cleveland Browns
- Available Salary Cap: -$27M (2nd least)
- 2024 LT: Dawned Jones, PFF ranked: 77/81
- Draft picks: twelve – 2, 33, 67, 94, 102, 164, 178, 191, 199, 215, 216, 256
- LT team need: extremely high
- Why they fit: Draft picks galore but strapped for cash, the Cleveland Browns should have one of the more intriguing offseason. They have a serious need at LT and can find one in the draft, but current coach Kevin Stefanski is at the end of his rope with the offense. While Cleveland may have swore off trading with the Texans like most of us did with sweets on New Years, this trade can help elevate a Browns offensive line in dire need of improvement.
New England Patriots
- Available Salary Cap: $123M (most)
- 2024 LT: Veteran Lowe, PFF ranked: 69/81
- Draft picks: nine – 4, 38, 69, 77, 104, 144, 218, 221, 239
- LT team need: medium-high
- Why they fit: Salary cap and a QB to protect. The Patriots offensive line was a disaster in 2024. The Pats Pulpit has a great article on how pressure negatively impacted rookie QB Drake Maye. This team picks very high in the 2025 draft and will want to keep their options open based on how the three picks in front of them fall. This is a team that may have solved their QB issue and now have to develop a roster around him.
Minnesota Vikings
- Available Salary Cap: $61.1M (7th most)
- 2024 LT: Christian Darrisaw (season ending knee injury), PFF ranked: 11/81
- Draft picks: four; 24, 97, 139, 160
- LT team need: medium high
- Why they fit: When Christian Darrisaw went out late October with a season-ending knee injury, their offensive line play quickly began to sputter. While Darrisaw should be back in time for the 2025 season, their need at left tackle persists. They have the salary cap to absorb Tunsil’s contract, but the limited draft picks may force Houston to receive players or future draft capital as compensation. The Texans also won’t face the Vikings for quite some time and won’t have to worry about seeing Tunsil in their near future.
Baltimore Ravens
- Available Salary Cap: $8.9M (11th least)
- 2024 LT: Ronnie Staley (free agent), PFF ranked: 37/81
- Draft picks: eleven; 27, 59, 91, 127, 135, 175, 182, 202, 208, 212, 244
- LT team need: high
- Why they fit: A deal with an AFC rival hurts and is sickening, but the Ravens may be one of the more intrinsically interested organizations this offseason. They are losing long-time starting Ronnie Staley to free agency. The Ravens don’t have too many holes across their team and are in as much if not more of a win-now mindset as the Texans. The Ravens have a bounty of draft picks and with an already solid roster should be willing to part ways with several of the EIGHT Day Three picks they possess this draft.