3 Players to Watch in Texans' Season Opener vs. Rams

Sunday marks the first time we'll see Chubb officially take the field in a Texans uniform, and with the absence of Joe Mixon set to ensue for at least four weeks, it puts a big role on the plate of Chubb to be the potential leader in this backfield if he's healthy.

Chubb may not have the same explosiveness or elite production from his Cleveland Browns days. Still, if he can bounce back from his lackluster efficiency last season (3.3 Y/A), his addition to this backfield can be extremely beneficial, especially without Mixon.

The outlook behind Chubb consists of Dameon Pierce and rookie Woody Marks as the next in line to take some of the four-time Pro Bowler's work, which can be serviceable, but the run game undoubtedly looks better with a healthy, productive Chubb leading the way. Time will tell if he can put the pieces together to showcase that version of himself in game one vs. LA.

And if Chubb does have a dominant day on the ground, it could be enough for the veteran runner to stamp his place in the NFL history books. With only 115 scrimmage yards, Chubb will be one of 10 active running backs to reach over 8,000 yards from scrimmage, and the sixth to do so in less than 90 games.

2. Danielle Hunter, DE

One half of the Texans' dominant edge rushing tandem, Hunter will begin his second year with Houston on Sunday, following up from a double-digit sack, Pro Bowl-caliber season in 2024, with hopes of continuing that momentum for a strong showing against the Rams.

Now heading into his age-30 campaign, Hunter sits only a half-sack away from a pretty impressive milestone on Sunday. With 0.5 sacks against the Rams, Hunter would officially stamp his name into the 100 career sacks club and would be the 15th-fastest player in NFL history to do so.

Following up from his trade to land with Houston last offseason, he's shown no signs of slowing down, and was even the Texans' sack leader during his first year with the team. So for Week 1 of the season, expect a hungry and refreshed Hunter ready to bring the same power off the edge for the Rams and Matthew Stafford.

3. Aireontae Ersery, OT

One of the Texans' two second-round selections in this offseason's draft, Ersery is expected to have some major responsibility for this offense right from the jump.

Not only will Sunday against LA be Ersery's official NFL debut in the regular season, but he's also set to be the Texans' starting left tackle on an offensive line desperate for more stability from what was seen last year.

In 2024, Stroud was the second-most sacked quarterback in the NFL behind only Caleb Williams. It led to the Texans brass opting to make an abundance of changes up front this offseason, enter with a vastly different five-man group for the 2025 campaign, and now get the first look at how they'll fare against a challenging, young Rams defensive front.

And while there's bound to be a lot on the hands of those on the interior and for Tytus Howard on the right side, Ersery is easily the most intriguing name to watch on the Texans' line. He's been reportedly impressive through camp and has the physical traits to be a day one impact player upfront.

We'll see if that high-end production ends up coming to fruition for Ersery, but for a Rams' defensive line headlined by top-end names like Jared Verse, Kobee Turner, Byron Young, and Braden Fiske, it won't be a walk in the park for anyone on the Texans' front lines.