The Houston Texans remain the team to beat in the AFC South ahead of the 2025 season, but their inability to properly beef up the offensive trenches could pave the way for the Jacksonville Jaguars to seize the division. Recently, a local voice highlighted one of Houston's biggest offseason blunders.
The Texans traded Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders in the offseason and replaced him with Cam Robinson. John Shipley of Sports Illustrated argues that cutting ties with the former and signing the latter was a massive mistake. Here's the skinny.
"Even with Tunsil having a down year last season, he is still far and away a better option at left tackle than Robinson and any other option on their roster," Shipley wrote. "For a Jaguars team that is chasing the Texans, their weakness along the offensive line should be a key focus for the defense and the rest of the AFC South."
Shipley continue, "Tunsil is no longer elite, but the Texans still let go of a talented player."
To build his case, Shipley points out that Tunsil popped up on ESPN's ranking of the top 10 offensive tackles ahead of the 2025 season. Of course, that's not the only list where the 2016 first-round selection is dubbed one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. Pro Football Focus ranked him the eighth best among his peers.
Meanwhile, Robinson has been inconsistent at times. While he's an above-average run-blocker throughout his career, he's routinely struggled in pass protection. In fact, you will be hard pressed to find someone who was caught by surprise when the Jags traded him to the Minnesota Vikings at the 2024 deadline.
A second-round pick by Jacksonville in 2017, Robinson got the franchise tag in 2021 and a long-term extension one year later. His presence prevented Walker Little from earning a featured role, but it looks like the past regime finally came to the realization that Little was the better player last year.
Having signed a three-year extension in 2024, Little is set to start at left tackle for the Jags next season.
And in case you think the Texans won't miss a beat without Tunsil Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen named him as one of the three toughest offensive tackles he's had to go against.
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Laremy Tunsil is a better player than Cam Robinson and the Jaguars know it.
Robinson signed a one-year deal worth $12 million, so it's fair to say that the Houston Texans aren't completely sold on him either. But aside from the former Jaguar, the rest of their moves they made on the offensive line left much to be desired.
Aside from trading Laremy Tunsil, the Texans moved on from offensive guard Shaq Mason. They then traded for the underachieving Ed Ingram and locked up Laken Tomlinson in free agency. While Houston gets credit for its willingness to fortify the trenches, the additions they made don't really move the needle, and that's not great news for third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The former Ohio State Buckeye is coming off a somewhat underwhelming season, and some of his issues stemmed from his lack of protection. If the Houston offensive line once again has a hard time keeping him upright, Stroud could struggle in 2025.
The bottom line is that the Houston Texans are vulnerable ahead of the 2025 season, and the Jaguars cannot pass up the chance to exploit their most glaring weakness.