The Houston Texans revamped their offensive line for the second year in a row, but their offseason work has already run into a hurdle, specifically regarding Braden Smith.
Smith was a non-participant during the Texans’ offseason program, and he was not the only one of the team’s new additions who failed to show an early return on the front office’s investment in them so far.
That is expected to change in training camp.
Texans Get Good News on Free Agent Duo
The Texans signed Smith, a former second-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts to a two-year, $20 million contract in free agency during the 2026 offseason.
KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson reported on why Smith was “very limited” during the offseason program.
“He’s still working his way back from minor neck surgery. And a lot of people say, ‘Aaron, there’s no such thing as minor neck surgery.’ I agree. It’s not great if you have to have surgery at all. Any surgery, but if they have to go in and fix something with your neck…,” Wilson said during a video published on YouTube on July 13.
“He is getting stronger, I’m told. He is getting better, and he’s expected to be ready for training camp. I don’t know if it’s the first day yet, so I’ll be checking on that as we get closer to the start of camp. But he’s on track, I’m told,”
Wilson also cited his own takeaways from the spring, saying he “watched him do more at the minicamp. So, his activity is going up.”
That is good news for Smith, who had seemingly lost ground to incumbent Trent Brown.
Braden Smith Expected to Retain Starting Job
GettyBraden Smith was hampered by injuries this offseason.
Wilson asserted that, “if he’s healthy,” Smith “is the first string right tackle” for the Texans over Brown, who the Texans re-signed to a one-year, $5.5 million pact.
“Trent Brown, a former Pro Bowl selection and massive obviously one of the biggest offensive lineman in the league. The biggest, in my estimation, and about 6[-foot-]8 and 400 pounds. So, Big Trent, he’s healthy. He had ankle and knee injuries that kept him out of the New England game, but he’s healthy now, and he was a very active participant and moved very well during the spring,” Wilson said.
“Having Trent and Braden Smith, two guys with significant injury histories, I think they’re going to hold down the job together, collectively. And the hope is that those are the only right tackles you see this season playing for the Houston Texans. So we’ll see where that goes.”
Brown winning the job would make Smith a waste of resources for the Texans.
Texans Other Injuries Trending in Right Direction
GettyThe Houston Texans have not gotten a return on their investment in Logan Hall just yet.
After addressing Smith and Brown, Wilson ran down the other injury situations Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is facing, noting linebackers Aiden Fischer and Jamal Hill are both expected to be healthy. The same is true of Smith’s fellow free agent pickup, Logan Hall.
Wilson called, whom the Texans signed to a two-year deal with $13.7 million, “one of the more prominent players that did not participate in spring drills at all.”
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-rounder battled a groin injury and knee tendonitis.
“Has the ability to play inside or outside, and we expect that from him, to be a versatile guy. Kind of like a bigger version of Denico Autry,” Wilson said of Hall. “He is expected to be ready for training camp, but, obviously, in the spring, wasn’t ready to go. They had to hold him back and you know that was disappointing.”
That was more than $33 million in financial commitments sidelined for the Texans this spring in Hall and Smith alone.
That is to say nothing of the other players who missed time.
Wilson notably mentioned that 2025 third-round pick Jaylin Smith and seventh-rounder Kyonte Hamilton are both expected to be full participants when training camp begins, bolstering their depth at cornerback and defensive tackle, respectively.
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