Texans fans still feel that one. Week 16 vs. the Browns. CJ Stroud running for his life, pressure flying in off the edge, and drive after drive that just couldn’t get going. Sure, the loss wasn’t entirely on the O-line. But let’s be real: if the Texans had a true anchor at tackle, it might’ve ended differently. Now? They finally might. And the fix didn’t come from free agency or a blockbuster trade. It came from the draft.

DeMeco Ryans has already made waves at camp by giving a rookie a real shot to change the narrative up front. It’s early, but the message is clear: CJ Stroud’s going to have a shot at something he didn’t get last December—real projection. At 6‑foot‑6 and 331 pounds, rookie Aireontae Ersery is already making his case for the starting spot.

“Adding Ersery through our team through the draft, really liked his tape in college at tackle,” HC DeMeco Ryans recently said in an interview. The big man’s already getting starter reps on both the left and right sides during early practices. They’re not easing him in. They’re seeing if he’s ready to roll right now.

Sure, the Texans have vets like Cam Robinson, Tytus Howard, Trent Brown, and rookie Blake Fisher who can all line up at tackle. Both sides. But Ersery? He’s got the kind of upside that could fast-track him into a starting role. Initial signs? Cam Robinson and rookie Aireontae Ersery have been rotating with the first team. And on the right? Blake Fisher, Ersery, and Zach Thomas have been rotating. Yeah, Ersery gives you the best of both worlds.

“He played left tackle, so we’ll start him out at tackle and see how he does there. My vision for him was always that he can help us at tackle,” Ryans added. He does bring that versatility that HCs dream about. He also played a few snaps at left guard and right tackle, but left tackle is where he is meant to be. And his college film backs it up.

At Minnesota, Ersery was a wall. One sack, one QB hit, and just five total pressures on nearly 700 pass-block snaps? That’s about as clean as it gets. PFF gave him a 77.3 in pass protection. Insane. And his 9.89 RAS at the Combine? Yeah, he’s far from a raw project. He’s got the athleticism to hang with the big dogs. And the Texans reassured their faith in him by offering big money.

Texans bet big on Ersery

The Texans didn’t just bring in Aireontae Ersery to sit and learn; they put up some real money behind him. Four years, $9.21 million for a second-rounder (48th overall) who hasn’t even taken an NFL snap yet? That’s bold. They clearly see him as more than depth, being on the field early, and more.

And honestly? Houston had to get this one right. With Laremy Tunsil gone and Shaq Mason out the door, the Texans needed a long-term solution up front. And he wasn’t the only fix. Texans gave up 54 sacks last season. Third-most in the NFL. No surprise, then, that the front office hit the reset button in the trenches. Out went Tunsil and Mason, in came a wave of reinforcements: vets like Austin Deculus and Laken Tomlinson, besides Trent Brown and Zach Thomas.

Another angle to this? Culture. Remember Jayden Higgins? Houston straight-up shocked the league by giving him a historic, fully guaranteed four-year deal worth $11.7 million. That just had never happened for guys outside the first round. And once that news dropped, you better believe agents across the league were like, “Wait, what?” Soon, a bunch of second-rounders were holding out, trying to get the same.

Houston set the tone with Higgins, and now they’re doubling down with Ersery. And it might not be good for the franchise owners’ pockets, but it certainly is a good trust-building exercise. It tells the rookies, “If you’re part of this rebuild, we’re going to treat you right.” And for Ersery, in Houston, that appears set to mean slotting him in at tackle, right or left.