 |
Anyone who has ever had to relocate to a new city for work will tell you that it can be a little frightening, especially because of the fear of the unknown.
There are new individuals you have to get used to who have been working at the job and have been residents of the city for years.
They know who to contact in the building when an issue needs to be handled, and they have all the recommendations for places to eat around town.
But how do you ingratiate yourself into that situation if you are coming from an employer who does not want you, and you deal with abandonment issues stemming from your childhood, when you were taken away from your biological mother because of her drug addiction?
For Houston Texans offensive lineman Ed Ingram, all of those things were running through his head after he was traded from the Minnesota Vikings, a team he had been with since being drafted by them in the second round (59th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, to the Texans in 2025.
Ingram, 27, sensed that his time in Minnesota would soon come to an end after he was called into his head coach’s office following Week 8 of the 2024 season to be informed that he was being replaced in the starting lineup, a position he had held for two and a half years, due to what the offensive coaches deemed inefficiency.
“That felt like a stake in my heart,” said Ingram at his Fire Side Chat program at Waltrip High School. “When he told me that, my heart sank, and I felt like the smallest person in the room.”
A Recurring Nightmare
That moment made Ingram waver in his confidence and his talent, which had gotten him to the NFL after winning a College Football National Championship with the LSU Tigers (2019) and being selected Second-Team All-SEC (2021).
It took him back to a dark time in his life, when he and his two siblings were removed from their home because of their mother’s drug addiction and placed in a foster home, where they stayed for two years before they were all adopted together, even though the family had only wanted his sister.
Those feelings of abandonment stirred up in Ingram’s spirit once the Vikings said they no longer needed his service.
“Something I have learned as I have grown up is when you have been adopted or feel neglected, I have noticed that I have abandonment issues and feelings like I am unwanted,” said Ingram to Big Sarge Media.
Welcomed With Open Arms
When DeMeco Ryans became the head coach of the Houston Texans in 2023, his main message to the organization and the players about the culture he would set was always based on family values.
It is a message that resonates throughout the building, and the players take great pride in having a locker room where everyone supports each other, no matter what position you play or whether you are on the active roster or the practice squad.
That is why it was no surprise that when Ingram arrived at the Texans, he was met with open arms.
“I remember walking into the locker room, not knowing some of these guys, but dudes shaking my hand, got a big smile on their face, and just greeting me with open arms,” Ingram said. “I remember it like yesterday: (Tight End) Cade Stover treated me like we had known each other forever. But that is the environment we have created in the Texans locker room, and you don’t get that on every team.”
With his locker next to former Texans offensive lineman Tytus Howard, who Ingram says is one of his best friends, it allowed him to let his guard down, as Howard would often laugh and joke with him and rookie Aireontae Ersery often.
Becoming The “OG”
This past offseason, the Texans lost one of the organization’s longest-tenured players when they traded Howard to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick.
That move propelled Ingram into the veteran leadership role on the offensive line heading into his second year with the team.
General manager Nick Caserio also showed Ingram how much the Texans organization appreciates him by signing him to a three-year, $37.5 million deal, securing his services through the 2028 season.
Working with offensive line coach Cole Popovich has allowed Ingram to take his game to another level, and he never misses an opportunity to mention it when asked about the difference between playing in Minnesota and Houston.
Now he is ready to embrace the role he has been assigned to after securing his contract and getting married this offseason to the person he considers his main support system, his wife, Jesey.
“It means a lot,” said Ingram about becoming one of the leading voices in the offensive line room. “This is something I have been working towards for years. It still feels like I just got to the league, like my rookie year was just yesterday.”
With the Texans’ training camp approaching at the end of July, Ingram is ready to get back on the field and begin what he and many of his teammates believe is a Super Bowl run.