This offseason, I took control of the Houston Texans in GM Mode on StickToTheModel with a focus on improving the offensive line, adding depth across the roster, and creating long-term salary cap flexibility.

Here’s how the offseason played out.

The Big Picture

• Starting Cap Space: -$7.5M
• Final Cap Space: $19.3M

• Players Cut: 3
• Contracts Restructured: 3
• Extensions: 2
• Trades Made: 2
• Free Agents Signed: 4
• Draft Picks: 9

• Overall Grade: B-

Houston managed to move from negative cap space to nearly $20M available while still adding key pieces.

Cuts

The Texans cleared cap space by moving on from three players.

Joe Mixon
+$8.5M

Mario Edwards Jr.
+$4.5M

Jimmie Ward
+$3.3M

Restructures

Three contracts were reworked to create cap flexibility.

Derek Stingley Jr.
+$13.3M

Nico Collins
+$8.3M

Jalen Pitre
+$4.7M

Extensions

Houston locked up two key defensive contributors.

Will Anderson Jr.

Azeez Al-Shaair

These extensions secured important long-term pieces of the Texans defense.

Trades

Houston made two trades during the offseason.

Sent Juice Scruggs, 2026 4th Round Pick, and a 2027 7th Round Pick
Received David Montgomery

Sent Tytus Howard to CLE
Received 2026 5th Round Pick

Free Agency

The Texans focused heavily on strengthening the offensive line.

Tyler Linderbaum — IOL
2yr / $13.2M APY

Alijah Vera-Tucker — IOL
3yr / $13.0M APY

D.J. Reader — IDL
1yr / $4.6M APY

Josh Jones — RG
1yr / $3.3M APY

These moves helped stabilize the offensive line while also adding depth to the defensive interior.

Draft Class

Houston added nine players through the draft.

Round 1 — Pick 32
Caleb Banks (DL1T, Florida)

Round 2 — Pick 38
Akheem Mesidor (EDGE, Miami)

Round 3 — Pick 66
Gennings Dunker (OT, Iowa)

Round 3 — Pick 69
Eli Stowers (TE, Vanderbilt)

Round 4 — Pick 140
Hezekiah Masses (CB, California)

Round 5 — Pick 145
Seth McGowan (RB, Kentucky)

Round 5 — Pick 166
Jalon Kilgore (S, South Carolina)

Round 7 — Pick 242
Zavion Thomas (WR, LSU)

Round 7 — Pick 243
Scooby Williams (ILB, Texas A&M)

Final Take

Houston turned a negative cap situation into a flexible one while reinforcing the offensive line and building depth through the draft.

Run Your Own NFL Offseason

I built this roster using GM Mode on StickToTheModel, where you can run your own NFL team, manage the salary cap, make trades, sign free agents, and run the draft.

Try it yourself here:
https://sticktothemodel.com/