Braden Smith, Houston Texans
Getty
Braden Smith #72 of the Indianapolis Colts pass blocks against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Houston Texans were aggressive in remaking their roster this offseason, particularly along the offensive line, and Braden Smith was one of their most heralded additions.
Smith will man the right tackle spot for the Texans. That pushes 2025 starter Trent Brown into a swing role. It also solidifies Blake Fisher as a reserve option. He brings 105 starts (in 107 games) worth of experience to Houston.
That is a lot of time spent in the trenches.
Texans’ Braden Smith Sends Message to Colt
Braden Smith
GettyBraden Smith #72 of the Indianapolis Colts on the field before a game.
Smith joined the Texans after eight years with the Indianapolis Colts, who drafted him 37th overall in 2018. Fittingly, the departure from the only NFL home that he has known hits hard for Smith.
He took to social media, drawing attention with his heartfelt message for the Colts, Indianapolis, and the fans.
Smith said that he and his “family will always be grateful for our time” in the city.
“God places us where He needs us, and Indianapolis was a place for me and my family to learn and grow for the past 8 years. We had lots of beautiful moments and times of hardship during our time here. It all unfolded perfectly to help us grow as a family and come closer to becoming who we were created to be. We still have lots of our story to be told and we are excited about continuing our journey in Houston,” Smith said in the post on Instagram on March 22.
“What I’ve learned along my journey is that at the end of the day none of us are good or bad, we are just human. All we can do is just try our best. That’s all God asks of us and that’s what I’ll continue to do! Love y’all.”
Smith is expected to help solidify a Texans offensive line that has undergone significant changes in back-to-back offseasons.
Texans OL Revamp Touted
Wyatt Teller, Houston Texans
GettyWyatt Teller #77 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates after a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Smith joins former Cleveland Browns starter Wyatt Teller as expected starters for the Texans. Fellow free agent signing Evan Brown should at least compete with incumbent Jake Andrews for the starting center job.
All of those moves project well for the Texans, who appear to finally be getting their archetype.
“With Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith on the Texans now, this is the first time in a very long time where I feel like there are some physical/body type standards they are finally starting to lock in on (when [Aireontae] Ersery is included),” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said in a post on X on March 20. “Granted, it’s not the entire OL but it’s a start.”
Zierlein added in response to a fan that, “There have been mismatched parts previously, but maybe Cole Popovich had a strong opinion about it or maybe they just looked at the Colts and some of the other offensive lines in the league and just decided to lean in that direction.”
The Texans selected Ersery 48th overall in the 2025 draft. He took over the starting left tackle spot.
Perhaps that spurred the Texans’ shift of preferred player type towards those more like Smith.