Every offseason in the DeMeco Ryans era, the Houston Texans have made a trade to better the roster. In 2023, that move was for offensive lineman Shaq Mason.
A year later, Houston netted the duo of Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon and All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs.
Last season, the Minnesota Vikings shipped off offensive lineman Ed Ingram, while the Jacksonville Jaguars gave up wideout Christian Kirk for a late Day 3 selection.
So, where do the Texans turn this offseason for another expiring-contract name? General manager Nick Caserio might be able to look at these three options should they become available on the market.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine created a list of potential trade targets for all 32 NFL teams. When asked for the Texans’ options, the usual positions but the names were a new bunch that often haven’t come up in discussions.
Offensive tackle, interior offensive line and defensive tackle have been priority moves for the Texans to target. Ballentine listed New Orleans Saints guard Ceser Ruiz, Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins and Minnesota Vikings Javon Hargrave as the top names to watch.
Dawkins feels the least likely to happen, especially given the value of a franchise tackle on a current deal. Dawkins also could be asked to move over to right tackle with the development of rookie Aireontae Ersery, thus making the deal more so a pipeline deam.
“Dawkins is still playing at an elite level, but the Bills could save a ton of money by trading him. The new team would have a $16.8 million cap hit,” Ballentine wrote. “He would immediately upgrade C.J. Stroud’s protection and improve the run game.”
Ruiz, a former first-round pick out of Michigan, has been one of the league’s more rocky interior linemen, mostly due to injuries and a changing coaching staff. He has two years left on his four-year extension and the $9 million salary might be rich, but given Engram’s likihood of testing free agency, it would be a cheap optin for a stable run blocker.
“Cesar Ruiz makes sense for a lot of the same reasons on a smaller scale,” Ballentine wrote. “He’s not nearly as valuable as a franchise left tackle, but his experience at guard could help bolster a Texans offensive line that has to be better in 2026.”
The Texans must decide what to do with several defensive linemen, including Sheldon Rankins and Tim Settle Jr. Both are free agents coming off one-year deals, but the former played in nearly every game while Settle missed over the last two months with a season-ending foot injury. Houston could bring back one of the duo while letting perhaps going after Hargrave, another low-center gravity lineman with bull-rushing upside in the pass defense.
“DeMeco Ryans system needs the front four to get to the quarterback,” Ballentine wrote. “Finding interior defensive linemen who can help with that should be an objective this offseason. Javon Hargrave might be in the twilight of his career, but he’s played in similar systems.”
The Texans are expected to make several moves that should strengthen their cap space situation entering the offseason. Right now, Houston owns nine picks in the upcoming NFL draft.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: Bleacher Report names 3 players as trade offseason options
