The Houston Texans are staying busy in free agency, now by adding a new starting tackle.
's Dianna Russini, the Texans have agreed to sign former Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith to a two-year deal.It's a contract worth $20 million over a two-year span, signing on a starting-level right tackle within the division through the 2027 season.
A huge get for the Texans, and yet another starting-caliber player added via the free agency market within the past 24 hours alongside Reed Blankenship.The Texans have remained pretty aggressive in getting their offensive line right for next season in the first few days of NFL free agency. The first order of business centered around the Texans retaining some of their top contributors upfront, already on the roster from last season, onto new deals. That included a new one-year contract for veteran right tackle Trent Brown worth $7 million, along with a nice three-year deal for right guard Ed Ingram after his career-best campaign in 2025. Now though, the Texans have brought in their first external free agent to join on the offensive line next season in Smith––an eight-year starter for the Colts since being a second-round pick back in 2018, and has been a pretty steady piece on the outside of their line throughout. Smith, a 6-foot-6, 309-pound veteran, has started over 100 games across his time in Indianapolis for the past eight years, starting each of the 13 games he was available in throughout 2025. His latest season would be cut short due to a concussion and neck injury sustained in Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he appears good to go for the 2026 campaign ahead. Jan 6, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith moves on the field during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jenna Watson-Imagn Images | Jenna Watson-Imagn Images; the 50th-best tackle in the NFL among 89 eligible names. He excelled particularly as a pass-blocker with a 71.9 grade, ranked 36th in the league. Now, the Texans’ offensive line is starting to slowly come together piece by piece, and is shaping up to be a bit of a better turnout from how this offense looked entering Week One of 2025. Smith will be able to start opposite second-year left tackle Aireontae Ersery as the bookends of C.J. Stroud's protection, and make for a steadier outlook protecting on the edge, while the interior will have Ingram back to build on a productive 2025, and likely one or a couple of draft picks to follow next month. There's still work left to do before the Texans are officially able to get where they want to be in terms of their roster construction for next season. But through the first two days of the legal tampering period, it's clear the front office is being aggressive and eager to get this group even better than what it was last year. Sign up for our free Houston Texans On SI newsletter, and get breaking Texans news delivered to your inbox daily!Jared Koch is the Deputy Editor of Houston Texans On SI and has covered the NFL since 2023. Jared is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. His works have also appeared on MSN, Yahoo, and Bleacher Report.
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