Offseason In Review: Houston Texans

Anchoring a dominant Houston defense, Anderson infiltrated rarified NFL contract territory. A March rumor named Anderson as a lead candidate to be the first $50MM-per-year defender, and the sides hammered out an agreement not long after.

From March 2022 (Aaron Rodgers’ short-lived Packers contract) until mid-April 2026, only quarterbacks had been tied to $50MM-per-year salaries. The Texans made Anderson the first non-QB to reach that tier, furthering the EDGE market’s rise that began in March 2025.

Only one edge defender (Nick Bosa) was earning more than $30MM per year entering March 2025. After many of the game’s top sack artists secured sizable raises last year, Anderson jumped aboard and reset the market following his breakthrough third season.

The Alabama product posted 12 sacks, 20 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles last season, powering the Texans’ defense to first-place finishes in yards allowed and EPA per play. While the Seahawks allowed fewer points, the Texans were rolling entering the playoffs. Their onslaught over the Steelers brought one of this era’s most dominant playoff showings by a defense, and while C.J. Stroud’s struggles in New England (after a clunker in Pittsburgh) proved too much Houston’s defense to overcome, the team still saw substantial evidence Anderson is one of the game’s best players.

While some positions peaked in value many years ago, the EDGE market is soaring. Six of the top eight contracts — in terms of cap percentage — have been authorized since March 2025. Per OverTheCap, Anderson’s $50MM-per-year deal checks in at third (16.6% of a $301.2MM cap) — behind Micah Parsons’ 2025 market-resetting Packers pact and Michael Strahan’s 1999 Giants extension (when the cap was at $57.29MM). After teams sat tight following Bosa’s $34MM-per-year deal hitting the 49ers’ books in September 2023, most of his peers on the All-Pro level have cashed in.

Picking up both Anderson and Stroud’s fifth-year options this offseason, the Texans had a better body of evidence Anderson will reward them on a second contract compared to Stroud (more on that below). Anderson, 25, registered 11 sacks and 16 TFLs in 2024. Being paired with both Jonathan Greenard and then Danielle Hunter, Anderson has thrived. And the Texans made a staggering commitment.

This extension reminds of the deal GM Nick Caserio gave Derek Stingley Jr. last March. The top cornerback AAV was $25MM when the Texans created the $30MM-per-year bar at the position; Parsons entered April 2026 as the highest-paid EDGE ($46.5MM). Because the Texans exercised each No. 3 overall pick’s fifth-year option, the extensions cover five years in total. While many teams still prefer to add four years to early extensions for first-rounders, Caserio has been OK with three-year deals for his cornerstones. That will help both Stingley and Anderson come back to the table in their 20s.

Anderson’s contract brought fully guaranteed compensation in 2027 and ’28, and $5.5MM of his 2029 money is locked in at signing. Houston agreed on the increasingly popular (well, for marquee players) rolling guarantee structure here as well; Anderson will see the rest of his $39.5MM 2029 base salary become guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2028 league year. The Texans also gave the fourth-year standout a no-trade clause, which is much rarer than early vesting dates.

Hunter, 31, has bolstered his Hall of Fame case upon returning to Houston. Growing up in the area, the ex-Vikings dynamo — who remains the NFL’s youngest player to reach the 50-sack mark — has now signed three Texans contracts in three years.

The team was able to land Hunter by offering a nearly fully guaranteed two-year, $49MM deal in 2024 — an offer that beat a Colts proposal worth more in total dollars — and a $35.6MM-per-year extension was finalized last March. The Texans took care of Hunter again, making him the NFL’s fifth $40MM-per-year pass rusher (Anderson became No. 6 a month later).

Hunter’s latest contract brings a fully guaranteed 2027 salary, representing a strong deal for a player entering an age-33 season. But Hunter has not missed a game since two injury-hijacked years (2020, 2021) in Minnesota. Quietly, Hunter has moved to 27th on the all-time sack list. He now has seven double-digit sack seasons, and even though Anderson earned first-team All-Pro acclaim, Hunter’s 15 sacks paced the Texans. Hunter earned his second All-Pro honor as a result (a second-team placement).

The 12th-year vet has done well to make up for signing a Vikings-friendly extension (five years, $72MM) in 2018. Minnesota agreed to a reworked deal that prevented a 2024 franchise tag, and Hunter’s through-2027 Houston accord will bump his career earnings past $215MM. The Texans included three void years on this deal and would be tagged with $30.6MM in dead money if they do not agree to another pact with Hunter by March 2028.

The wide receiver market has also boomed in recent years. When Collins signed his three-year, $72.75MM extension in May 2024, the WR ceiling stood at $32MM per year. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has taken it to $42.15MM per annum. That growth does not quite match the edge rusher boom, but the Texans still made sure to squash a potential Collins issue early.

Houston did well to pay Collins just before the Vikings reset the receiver market with Justin Jefferson’s $35MM-AAV deal in June 2024, but a regime that has not shown much hesitancy in offering future guarantees approved another windfall to placate the former third-round pick.

Teams called the Texans about Collins around draft time, but Caserio confirmed no trade was coming. The team then gave its No. 1 wideout a raise that came nearly fully guaranteed. Despite having Collins signed for two more seasons at a team-friendly rate, Houston bumped his AAV to $30MM on this raise. The deal fully guaranteed Collins’ 2027 base salary ($28.5MM) while adding no new years. Collins, 27, is now the NFL’s 12th-highest-paid receiver.

It took a while for the Texans to reach the extension phase under Caserio. Our 2022 Texans Offseason in Review highlighted how far they had to go. Excepting the Stroud matter, Caserio has rewarded most of his key extension-eligible cogs. After paying Stingley and Jalen Pitre last year and locking down Anderson and Hunter before the draft, the Texans turned their attention to their defensive second level. Al-Shaair and To’oTo’o are no longer in contract years.

As injuries have plagued Dre Greenlaw, Ryans’ other OLB piece in San Francisco has flourished. Al-Shaair’s 2023 Titans season launched him on this course, one that has him sitting as the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid off-ball ‘backer. Although the Trevor Lawrence hit and resulting three-game suspension brought a stain on Al-Shaair’s first Texans season, he outplayed the three-year, $34MM contract he had signed in 2024.

Al-Shaair, 29, earned his first Pro Bowl nod last season. Although his TFL count dropped from seven in 2024 to one last year, the former San Francisco UDFA posted a career-high nine pass deflections; Pro Football Focus ranked him 18th among ILBs last season.

The Texans’ willingness to provide full guarantees into future years probably isn’t receiving enough attention, as even the charges south of the All-Pro level are receiving such perks. After a fully guaranteed 2027, Al-Shaair received $8MM of his $15MM 2028 base salary locked in. That is pretty good work two years from an age-31 season, though no rolling guarantee structure is in place here. The rest of Al-Shaair’s 2028 base vests on Day 5 of the ’28 league year.

To’oTo’o’s second contract matches the one the 49ers gave Greenlaw in 2022; considering the cap’s $93MM jump since then, this could be quite the team-friendly accord. PFF ranked To’oTo’o as a top-40 off-ball LB last season, when he notched 2.5 sacks and nine TFLs.

To’oTo’o probably could have done better as a 2027 free agent, even as the ILB market has stagnated in the 2020s, but he chose to accept early guarantees and sign over his age-26 and age-27 season to the Texans.

As Houston has struggled to find receiver availability beyond Collins during Stroud’s career, Schultz has been an important piece. The Texans guaranteed half of Schultz’s 2027 base salary and will keep the former Cowboys draftee around as a key secondary pass-game option.

This offers good protection for the 30-year-old TE as the Texans would take a near-$20MM dead money hit if they cut him next year. While Schultz’s yards-per-catch number plummeted to a career-low 9.5, his 777 receiving yards were the second-most of his career — and well north of any non-Collins Houston weapon in 2025.

Trades:

• Acquired RB David Montgomery from Lions for OL Juice Scruggs, No. 128, 2027 seventh-round pick
• Traded OL Tytus Howard to Browns for No. 141
• Obtained T Nathan Thomas from Cowboys for 2027 seventh-round pick
• Traded OL Jarrett Patterson to 49ers for 2027 seventh-round pick
• Landed LB Marte Mapu, 2027 seventh-round pick from Patriots for 2027 sixth-rounder
• Acquired WR Kayshon Boutte from Patriots for S Jaylen Reed, 2028 seventh-round pick
• Added P Kai Kroeger, 2028 seventh-round pick from Saints for 2028 sixth-rounder

The Texans ranked 22nd in rushing last season and 29th in yards per carry. Caserio had temporarily addressed this issue via the 2024 Joe Mixon trade but saw a regression after the veteran’s apparently career-ending foot injury. Nick Chubb and Woody Marks provided passable help, but the Texans made another trade by bringing in a player who had drifted from 1-B status to a clear backup.

As Jahmyr Gibbs has turned into a star, the Lions reduced Montgomery’s role. The team’s starter in 2023 and ’24, Montgomery averaged just 9.3 carries per game last season. The former Bears draftee, who has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, came up as a trade candidate shortly after the season. By early March, the eighth-year veteran wanted a scenery change. The Lions accommodated him, adding Scruggs and two picks and replacing Montgomery with Isiah Pacheco for less than $2MM (Pacheco will begin the season on IR).

Even as the Lions dealt with O-line injuries last season, Montgomery finished with 716 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Next Gen Stats’ rush yards over expected per attempt metric ranked Montgomery 11th (0.79). He combined for 25 rushing TDs from 2023-24, playing a lead role in the Lions’ resurgence. As the “Sonic and Knuckles” tandem leaned more on Gibbs’ talents last season, Montgomery did well to both find a team comfortable adding him as a starter in Year 8 and giving a 29-year-old RB more guarantees.

The Lions had given Montgomery a two-year, $18.25MM extension during the 2024 season. No guarantees remained on that pact, but the Texans provided a $6.5MM signing bonus for 2026 and a $2MM guarantee for 2027. No years were added in this top-up. The Texans can escape this deal next year for $7.2MM in dead money.

Scruggs did not pan out for a Houston team that has seen its roster reload produce some O-line whiffs. The former second-round pick started 19 games from 2023-24 but just one last season. PFF ranked the Penn State product (351 offensive snaps) as the NFL’s fourth-worst guard regular last year. The Texans turned to free agency (Wyatt Teller) and the draft (Keylan Rutledge) at guard this offseason. The Lions were planning to use Cade Mays as their center starter, but his injury will move Scruggs into Detroit’s Week 1 lineup.

The Texans’ latest effort at upgrading their O-line brought a curious trade. Howard had been a durable and versatile piece on unstable Houston lines, vacillating between right tackle and left guard in recent years. Howard played 17 games in 2022 and 16 apiece from 2024-25. While missing 10 games in 2024, the former first-round pick remained a decent option at either RT or LG.

PFF ranked Howard 56th among tackle regulars last season but viewed him as one of the position’s better run blockers. Howard, 30, logged more than 3,500 RT snaps and 1,700 at LG during his career. Regularly switching depending on what the Texans needed at the time, Howard will play right tackle in Cleveland. He secured a two-year, $45MM extension to do so.

Mike Vrabel said Boutte was trending toward healthy-scratch status entering the season, and the Patriots found a taker in a Texans team that keeps running into WR injury issues. Tank Dell is still not ready to go after his career-altering December 2024 knee injury, and 2025 second-round pick Jayden Higgins suffered an ACL tear in training camp. The Texans were mentioned as making calls on Boutte and the Ravens’ Rashod Bateman; all it took to acquire Boutte was a backup safety (Reed) and a late-round 2028 pick.

As our Ben Levine covered in his Patriots Offseason in Review, Boutte had been regularly mentioned in trade rumors. With the Pats adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason, the former sixth-round pick became the odd man out (though, New England is suddenly thinner after Brown’s Week 1 high ankle sprain). Boutte combined for 1,140 receiving yards and nine TD catches over the past two seasons. He also added one of this decade’s best grabs, hauling in a one-handed TD in the snow to give the Pats a two-score lead in their divisional-round win.

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Despite less than a month with the team, Boutte is already listed as a starter. That is as much an indictment on the Texans’ receiving corps as a credit to the contract-year receiver, but this season represents a big opportunity for the 24-year-old target. A former five-star recruit, Boutte could become an intriguing 2027 free agency name if he stays on his current pace.

Thomas challenged Tyler Guyton for the Cowboys’ left tackle job this offseason but lost the competition to the former first-rounder. With 2024 Texans second-round tackle Blake Fisher not panning out yet, Thomas provides some additional swing depth. Two years remain on the former seventh-rounder’s rookie contract.

Patterson made 21 starts from 2023-25, and PFF liked his work far more than Scruggs’. With the Texans bolstering their interior O-line this spring, they felt comfortable offloading the contract-year player — now a 49ers interior backup — to cap a seven-trade offseason.

Free agency additions:

• Reed Blankenship, S. Three years, $24.75MM ($16.5MM guaranteed)
• Braden Smith, RT. Two years, $20MM ($13.5MM guaranteed)
• Logan Hall, DT. Two years, $13.75MM ($9MM guaranteed)
• Wyatt Teller, G. Two years, $18MM ($8.5MM guaranteed)
• Jadeveon Clowney, DE. One year, $5.5MM ($4.5MM guaranteed)
• Foster Moreau, TE. Two years, $6.3MM ($3MM guaranteed)
• Jake Hummel, LB. Two years, $4.75MM ($2.15MM guaranteed)
• Evan Brown, OL. One year, $2.5MM ($1MM guaranteed)
• Dominique Robinson, DE. One year, $2.03MM ($500K guaranteed)
• Mark Gronowski, QB. Practice squad
• George Odum, S. Practice squad

The Texans’ O-line ranked 30th in pass block win rate and 32nd in run block win rate last season, continuing a trend that has at least contributed to Stroud’s struggles building on his quality rookie season. Houston made moves to upgrade this offseason, but they already look questionable.

An eight-year Colts starter, Smith commanded a decent third-contract market. He did help Jonathan Taylor to the 2021 rushing title, but unavailability has intervened for the former second-rounder regularly. Smith, 30, missed 14 games from 2021-23. His 2024 season brought a shutdown due to an OCD diagnosis. While the former high-priced Colt returned — albeit on a pay cut — in 2025, he finished last season on IR and will start this one there.

Smith underwent neck surgery this offseason but landed on IR with a foot ailment. The Texans waited until after cutdown day to place Smith on IR, pointing to a return this season. But this investment — which includes a partial guarantee on his 2027 salary — is not starting off well.

Forming one of the NFL’s best guard tandems while playing opposite Joel Bitonio, Teller landed on two All-Pro teams with the Browns. The Browns overhauled their O-line this offseason, swapping out all five Week 1 starters from 2025. Teller needed a new home, and a Texans team that has struggled just about everywhere up front recently handed him a pay-as-you-go deal.

Teller, 31, has been a Week 1 starter every season this decade. But he is not set to open this campaign in Houston’s lineup. The Texans intend to use Ed Ingram and first-rounder Keylan Rutledge at guard and Evan Brown at center. Shifting between guard and center on a near-annual basis during his time in Detroit, Seattle and Arizona, Brown is positioned to man the pivot over 2025 starter Jake Andrews. The Seahawks’ center starter in 2023, Brown spent the past two seasons as a Cardinals starting guard.

The Texans had appeared poised to give Rutledge the center job, which would have seemingly had Teller as the first-string LG. It is rather telling Brown (30 this month) will be called upon to start while a $9MM-per-year deal is attached to a backup guard. Although Teller provides insurance, having neither he nor Smith in the Week 1 lineup is certainly not something Texans brass envisioned upon signing the experienced duo in March.

Jaylinn Hawkins was on Houston’s radar; the resurgent safety confirmed as much. But the Super Bowl LX starter for New England joined Baltimore instead. It would stand to reason Hawkins was a potential backup plan, as his Ravens deal is worth “only” $10MM. Blankenship received $24MM and collected more than Hawkins’ full value in guarantees at signing.

Blankenship was more expensive because of a more consistent track record. A full-time Eagles starter from 2023-25, Blankenship helped the franchise cover for second-rounder Sydney Brown’s inability to stick as a starter. Teaming with the nomadic C.J. Gardner-Johnson at points, Blankenship was the Eagles’ safety anchor as pieces shuttled in an out around him. PFF ranked him as a top-30 safety in 2023 and ’24, though the advanced metrics site viewed his contract-year work poorly by placing him 89th among 91 qualifiers at the position.

Even on a crowded safety market, Blankenship found buyers. Two years of his contract are fully guaranteed. The 50-game starter will work alongside Calen Bullock in a loaded Texans secondary. Bullock and Kamari Lassiter do not become extension-eligible until 2027, giving the Texans an opening to spend midlevel safety cash on a veteran. After the Texans missed on Gardner-Johnson last year, they will opt for more stability via his ex-Philly teammate.

A more calculating NFL journeyman than CJGJ, Clowney will make his first reunion trip. After playing for six teams between his 2019 Houston departure and the 2025 season, the former No. 1 overall Texans pick is back with his original team. As if the Texans needed more help up front. Clowney, 33, will settle into a role as the top backup behind Anderson and Hunter.

The former Seahawks, Titans, Browns, Ravens, Panthers and Cowboys edge rusher has mostly worked as a starter (133 of 153 career games). He was Myles Garrett’s Browns sidekick for two seasons and provided tremendous help for a No. 1-seeded Ravens squad in 2023. The Panthers cut Clowney one year into a two-year agreement, and he submitted a quality showing for a bad Cowboys defense. Clowney registered 8.5 sacks and 12 TFLs with Dallas. While the 13th-year veteran wanted to re-sign there, the Cowboys changed course at the position.

Although Cleveland or Seattle returns surfaced as options, the Cowboys’ decision opened the door for a true homecoming. A three-time Pro Bowler with the Texans (2016-18), Clowney did not live up to his No. 1 overall draft slot. But he did give the team versatility during a period that featured three playoff berths.

Occasionally teaming with J.J. Watt — injuries hampered both during their five years together — Clowney combined for a whopping 53 TFLs during his 2016-18 peak. Not in that form anymore, Clowney should still be a plus option as a rotational DE behind two All-Pros.

Re-signings:

• Ed Ingram, G. Three years, $37.5MM ($20MM guaranteed)
• Sheldon Rankins, DT. Two years, $17MM ($12MM guaranteed)
• E.J. Speed, LB. Two years, $10MM ($7.5MM guaranteed)
• Trent Brown, T. One year, $5.5MM ($1.75MM guaranteed)
• Mario Edwards Jr., DT. One year, $1.49MM ($1.49MM guaranteed)
• M.J. Stewart, S. One year, $2.7MM ($500K guaranteed)
• Brevin Jordan, TE. One year, $1.17MM ($25K guaranteed)

A good contract year can change a career, and Ingram is among the latest to benefit from one. The former Vikings second-round pick had been benched in Minnesota, which then unloaded him for a sixth-round pick. Ingram proceeded to start 14 Texans games, and PFF ranked the LSU alum as the 12th-best guard last season. Rarely getting these moves right, the Texans naturally showed interest in keeping an O-lineman they pegged correctly.

Ingram’s $20MM guarantee ranked third among free agent guards this year. On a Texans O-line that does not include a big-ticket contract, the right guard’s $12.5MM-per-year pact fits in well. With Howard traded, the Texans feature an O-line full of midlevel or rookie deals. As homegrown extension candidates have sprung up at just about every other position on this roster, the O-line remains a work in progress.

With Braden Smith on IR again, the Texans will call on Trent Brown to open the season at right tackle. Beginning last season on the practice squad, Brown ended up making seven RT starts and working with the first unit in the wild-card round. The 370-pound (ideally) blocker came back from a 2024 Achilles rupture in Cincinnati, and he is set for a 12th NFL season.

Rankins, 32, is quite familiar with this 49ers-based defensive scheme by now. The former Saints first-rounder played two seasons under Robert Saleh in New York and is entering a third season under Ryans. Brown’s Bengals teammate in 2024, Rankins had a forgettable year then. With Houston, though, he provides valuable interior support for the Anderson-Hunter duo. Rankins has started all 32 games he has played as a Texan. After a three-sack 2025 regular season, Rankins registered 1.5 against the Steelers and notched a fumble-six in the Texans’ Round 1 rout.

Notable losses:

• Denico Autry, DL (retirement expected)
• Derek Barnett, DE
• Braxton Berrios, WR
• Myles Bryant, CB
• Harrison Bryant, TE
• Nick Chubb, RB (retired)
• Damone Clark, LB
• Foley Fatukasi, DT
• Christian Harris, LB
• Kurt Hinish, DT (waived)
• Christian Kirk, WR
• Joe Mixon, RB (released)
• Dare Ogunbowale, RB
• Tim Settle, DT
• Tommy Townsend, P
• Jimmie Ward, S (released)
• Justin Watson, WR

The Mixon release created $8MM in cap space, after the former Bengals starter missed all of last season due to a still-unspecified foot injury. Mixon, 30, landed on Houston’s reserve/NFI list to open the season and eventually underwent surgery this year. The nine-year veteran is unlikely to return to the NFL.

Acquired in a trade for a seventh-round pick in 2024, Mixon provided a boost for the Texans’ ground attack that year. The team had given him a two-year, $19.75MM deal that included $13MM guaranteed at signing. Mixon did not exactly deliver on that investment, even after he rambled for 1,016 rushing yards and 11 TDs in 2025, thanks to his offsite foot injury last year.

A longtime Mixon Ohio RB rival, Chubb arrived as an emergency stopgap once it became clear Mixon was not close to returning. Chubb was well past his peak, with injuries rerouting the Cleveland great’s prime. The Texans gave Chubb nine starts, and he rushed for 506 yards (4.1 per carry) and scored three touchdowns. Chubb was less effective than rookie Woody Marks, whose role will be reduced after the David Montgomery trade. At 31, Chubb retired. The four-time 1,000-yard rusher was one of the era’s best RBs.

Joining Mario Edwards and Jihad Ward as Reggie McKenzie-era Raiders D-line finds, Autry squeezed 12 NFL seasons out of an undrafted profile. A Jaguars signing from completing the AFC South tour, Autry played two seasons with the Texans. Houston gave him a two-year, $20MM contract in 2024 but accepted a pay cut after a six-game PED suspension.

Autry, 36, operated mostly as a backup with the Texans. Settle made 23 starts at DT in Houston over the same time, but at 29, he commanded a solid market and returned to Washington (three years, $24MM).

Draft:

• Round 1, No. 26 (from Bills): Keylan Rutledge (G, Georgia Tech) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 36 (from Raiders): Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 59: Marlin Klein (TE, Michigan) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 106 (from Commanders): Febechi Nwaiwu (G, Oklahoma) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 123 (from Chargers): Wade Woodaz (LB, Clemson) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 141 (from Raiders via Browns): Kamari Ramsey (S, USC) (signed)
• Round 6, No. 204 (from Chargers): Lewis Bond (WR, Boston College) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 243 (from 49ers): Aiden Fisher (LB, Indiana) (signed)

A late riser during the pre-draft process, Rutledge is ticketed for a Week 1 role as the Texans’ starting left guard. The team had tried him at center extensively, but the college guard will end up at the role he knows better. The Texans traded up (via the Bills) to make sure the Titans could not land him in Round 1.

“Where’s he going to play? Who the hell knows?” Caserio said during the draft. “We’ll figure out who the best five guys are and put the group out there that we think is going to help us the most.”

Caserio’s April comments came when it appeared Wyatt Teller would start at left guard. While the Texans gave Rutledge an extended look at center, a late-summer pivot will send him to LG. Houston had cross-trained Rutledge at guard, and he brings plenty of experience at that spot. A first-team All-Conference USA guard before his back-to-back All-ACC years at the position, Rutledge may well be Houston’s long-term LG. If that is the case, center — where demoted starter Jake Hansen struggled last season — will be a 2027 need.

Texans-McDonald connections emerged pre-draft, and the team was incredibly high on the Ohio State product. The Texans traded up two spots (via the Raiders) to grab McDonald at No. 36, but they explored a move back into Round 1 for him if necessary.

McDonald held a rotational role off the bench in the Buckeyes’ 2024 championship run, making last season his only starter slate. The disruptive, explosive defensive tackle made plays all over the field for Ohio State, notching 65 total tackles, three sacks, and nine tackles for loss en route to All-American honors. The Columbus-developed run stuffer will start the season on IR. Once he returns, the Texans’ defensive line — which was one of the NFL’s best units in 2025 — will be further strengthened.

This year’s second round featured a run on tight ends, even some that draft experts did not rank too highly. After the Jaguars drafted Nate Boerkircher at No. 56, the Texans nabbed Klein three spots later. Boerkircher checked in 116th on Dane Brugler’s The Athletic big board, while Klein ranked 128th. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board was more generous with Klein, slotting him 84th, but the Texans showed conviction by adding the former Colston Loveland Michigan backup.

More polished as a blocker than a receiver (248 yards, one touchdown last season), Klein will develop behind Dalton Schultz and Foster Moreau — on a Texans roster housing five tight ends. Cade Stover and Brevin Jordan remain on the team as well, pointing Klein toward a backup role early (Houston’s Week 1 depth chart lists the rookie as the third-stringer behind Schultz and Moreau).

Coaching/front office:

• Parted ways with QBs coach Jerrod Johnson
• DBs coach Dino Vasso withdrew from Browns, Cardinals’ DC searches
• Defensive pass-game coordinator Cory Undlin interviewed for Browns’ DC job
• Hired Jordan Hicks, Darren Sproles as coaching fellows

Other:

• Exercised QB C.J. Stroud’s $25.9MM fifth-year option
• Gave WR Tank Dell, DB Ja’Marcus Ingram IR-return designations
• Placed DT Kayden McDonald, RT Braden Smith on short-term IR
• Met with CBs Terrion Arnold, Martin Emerson
• Placed WR Jayden Higgins, DE Dylan Horton, QB Graham Mertz on season-ending IR
• Placed LB E.J. Speed on reserve/PUP list
• Signed 12 UDFAs

Exercising Stroud’s option, the Texans had long been expected to table a potential extension to 2027. Considering the past two seasons, that makes sense for both parties. Stroud has not progressed since his Offensive Rookie of the Year season, and while the QB said he had held up his end of the bargain when addressing whether he deserved an extension, more evidence is probably needed.

After all, we have seen teams burned by homegrown QB extensions without sufficient evidence (Carson Wentz, Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa). The Dolphins just took on a record-setting $99.2MM in dead money from bailing on the Tagovailoa deal, while the Cardinals are eating nearly $55MM on Murray.

The 2023 season pointed to this offseason as the Stroud extension window, with the Texans appearing to solve their quarterback issue created by the Deshaun Watson fiasco. But as O-line and wide receiver injuries piled up over the past two years, Stroud displayed inconsistency.

The spotlight shined on the Ohio State product in the playoffs, when his poor play held back a soaring Texans defense. Against the Steelers and Patriots, Stroud was 41 of 79 with two touchdown passes and seven turnovers (including a four-interception game in Foxborough). An extension on the heels of those two outings would have been tricky to design.

After the sides paused talks in late June, Caserio expressed an openness to a deal being completed before Week 1. But it surely would have needed to be a fairly team-friendly agreement for the Texans to feel comfortable paying Stroud now. The team appeared OK with a deal that at least approached the $50MM-per-year barrier, and while it would have been tempting for Stroud to collect a big guarantee package now (as a bet against himself), it makes sense for the passer to reassess and hope a bounce-back 2026 can rocket him toward the market’s upper reaches.

Baker Mayfield just became the sixth quarterback to be tied to a $55MM AAV (joining Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford). Adam’s latest PFR mailbag broke down this glut of QB contracts, which are tied for third in AAV — behind only Patrick Mahomes’ new deal and Dak Prescott’s player-friendly 2024 Cowboys extension. With the cap likely to climb near (or beyond) $320MM next year, Stroud still appears in good position to cash in after his fourth season.

While Stroud locked in a near-$26MM guarantee for 2027 which will push his career earnings past $62MM, it is worth wondering if he should have considered an extension now. The Texans’ 2027 offer will likely come in higher, and while QBR was much kinder to the young passer in 2025 (11th) than 2024 (24th), Houston receivers and O-linemen continue to suffer injuries. This year is no exception.

Higgins was ticketed to be the team’s No. 2 wide receiver, regardless of Dell’s status. Losing him reminds of 2024, when the Texans saw Stefon Diggs suffer a midseason ACL tear. A 2025 second-rounder added in the wake of Dell’s severe knee injury, Higgins produced 525 yards and six touchdown receptions as a rookie. The Iowa State product was poised to take another step as Nico Collins’ wingman. Now, he will spend most of the next year rehabbing while the Texans aim to get by with Boutte and ex-Higgins Cyclones teammate Jaylin Noel.

As for Dell, his placement on IR does not bode well for a bounce-back season. Dell avoided the active/PUP list in July, bringing a promising sign after a lost 2025. This came after the diminutive playmaker said he was making an (unrealistic) attempt to come back late last season. Caserio said the team still needs to see more from Dell before activating him. We are now nearly 21 months removed from Dell shredding his knee at Arrowhead Stadium.

Dell’s NFL career has produced bright flashes but has been mostly injury-marred. After a broken leg ended his rookie year, the 2023 third-round pick was wounded in a shooting months later. Dell made it back by Week 1 of the 2024 season and was at 51 catches for 667 yards before the career-altering knee injury. With more missed time ahead, however, Dell may be looking at a 2027 “prove it” deal — perhaps from the Texans — as a best-case scenario on a second contract.

Top 10 cap charges for 2026:

1. Danielle Hunter, DE: $16.14MM
2. Nico Collins, WR: $14.94MM
3. Will Anderson Jr., DE: $13.2MM
4. C.J. Stroud, QB: $11.54MM
5. Derek Stingley Jr., CB: $10.79MM
6. Dalton Schultz, TE: $9.55MM
7. Azeez Al-Shaair, ILB: $8.79MM
8. Davis Mills, QB: $8.13MM
9. Ka’imi Fairbairn, K: $5.79MM
10. Jalen Pitre, S: $5.68MM

Even in an AFC featuring many possible contenders, the Texans appear a true Super Bowl contender. They look to have strengthened a punishing defense via free agency and the draft, and the Rutledge pick will bring upside on an O-line largely devoid of it. Even if Houston might have the AFC’s highest ceiling, familiar problems lower the floor here.

The Higgins and Dell situations accompanying early disappointing returns on O-line FA signings do not present Stroud with the kind of circumstances the Texans hoped to ahead of his fourth season. The path to an elusive Super Bowl berth probably does not form without Stroud improvement, but a healthy version of this defense should not require the QB to deliver a great season. More consistency from Stroud could be enough. Given the defensive muscle Ryans’ group possesses, Stroud may be the AFC’s top X-factor this season.