Houston Roughnecks Re-Sign Avery Gennesy, Jack Kramer, Olive Sagapolu
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Houston Roughnecks Reshaping Their Offensive Line For 2025

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It’s been an intriguing offseason for the Houston Roughnecks so far. After a pitiful 1-9 record in 2024, Houston made a change at General Manager – bringing in Will Lewis, formerly of the San Antonio Brahmas.

This change has led to Houston taking a different approach to their roster heading towards the UFL’s second season. The Roughnecks cut quite a few pieces who were big parts of the team in 2024 – and have brought in dozens of new faces, in an effort to craft a more capable organization in 2025.

One of the major position groups that has been worked on: the offensive line. In 2024, Houston’s O-Line play was far from ideal. According to PFF, their blocking grades were some of the worst in the UFL (48.4 Pass, 6th; 37.3 Run, 8th).

Clearly, those poor numbers cannot translate over into the next season. No matter who was in at quarterback in 2024, they never had the protection they needed, in order to reach their full potential.

In this piece, we’ll be taking a look at the adjustments made to the O-Line so far, and what we might be able to expect from Houston’s offense moving forward.

Movement From 2024

To start with, it looks like Houston isn’t bringing back the majority of their offensive linemen from this past season. Braylon Jones, Brandon Haskin, Justin Redd, Shamarious Gilmore, and Na’Ty Rodgers have all either been cut, or simply not re-signed to contracts for 2025. Neither had great seasons in 2024, so none of these releases are all that surprising.

Houston did opt to bring back starting center Jack Kramer, starting tackle Cam Carter, and starting guard Avery Gennesy. Kramer was one of the better centers in the UFL, while Carter has put up some decent film over the past two years in spring ball. Gennesy is another veteran that brings depth to the roster. The Roughnecks also re-signed Isaiah Battle, who was primarily a backup in ‘24.

The New Additions

Will Lewis and this Houston organization has taken a rather balanced approach to tightening up this unit. They’ve brought in rookies, some spring football standouts, and even a couple of vets who will bring leadership and quality play to the room.

To start with, the Roughnecks signed Ethan Carde, Noah Atagi, and Nick Correia – three rookies who are fresh off of NFL mini-camp opportunities. Each were standouts for their respective college teams in 2023, and are the type of prospects that would be ideal for Houston to develop.

Samuel Jackson is another younger athlete who should be in a position to help this team’s play. Jackson is one of the few players who was recently with an NFL team – spending time with the Jaguars as an UDFA in 2023. He also has CFL experience, with Calgary.

The Roughnecks also added a pair of former New Jersey Generals to the roster. OG Calvin Ashley and C/OL Saige Young have signed for 2025. Ashley in particular is an exciting prospect, as he was formerly an All-USFL nomination with New Jersey. It was a surprise to see him left out of the UFL this year. Calvin’s presence up front will automatically make things better on the ground for Houston.

Finally, veterans Maea Teuhema and Sean Brown have also been added to this Roughnecks O-Line. Teuhema has been around the block in multiple spring leagues, including the AAF, XFL, USFL, and now the UFL. Meanwhile, Brown is a veteran who’s still capable of playing at a high level – staying in shape and looking to come back with a vengeance after missing this past season. He helped take the Philadelphia Stars to the Championship in 2022 – bringing that valuable experience to the table for Houston.

Final Thoughts

With 12 offensive linemen signed for Training Camp, it’s likely that a few will be cut before the regular season. The good news is that Houston has a wide array of pieces to choose from, with quite a bit of diversity across the board. After the Gamblers had one of the best ground games in the USFL in 2023, it was disappointing to see C.J. Johnson’s unit take such a big step back this year. That needs to change, and it appears that it will, given how Houston has attacked this offseason.

The entire franchise will look quite a bit different in 2025, which is great news for this fanbase. It’s going to take a lot to bring Houston back to their glory days – but they’re beginning to take some steps in the right direction.

What the Roughnecks really need to do moving forward: target free agents coming out of NFL Training Camps/Practice Squads. It’s the one thing that they haven’t done yet this offseason, and it puts them at risk of falling behind the rest of the UFL teams who have pursued those types of prospects. If Houston wants to become more competitive, adding those pieces are a must.

What are your thoughts on the Houston Roughnecks offensive line heading towards 2025? How can this unit improve upon their rough 2024 campaign? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!

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