Texans Sign DT Mario Edwards Jr.

The 2015 second-round pick out of Florida State had a promising start to his career with a strong rookie campaign in Oakland. Edwards sophomore campaign saw him limited to only two appearances after a hip injury landed him on injured reserve for most the season. He bounced back to start 14 games the next year, but the Raiders cut him before the final year of his rookie contract.

After getting claimed off waivers by the Giants for the final year of that contract and putting on a decent performance, Edwards signed a two-year contract with the Saints but was, again, cut after just one season. Edwards rebounded on a one-year deal with the Bears, and after putting up a career-high four sacks with six tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as the third-best interior defender in the league that year. Despite receiving a suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy, the Bears signed Edwards to a three-year extension just to release him, once more, after one year.

He landed on Jacksonville’s practice squad in 2022, but the Titans quickly signed him away for their active roster. Edwards put on another strong season with three sacks, four tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback hits over seven starts in 13 games. He followed this up with another one-year deal in Seattle before landing in Houston. The Texans initially signed Edwards to a one-year deal, on which he started double-digit games in a season for the first time since he was on his rookie contract in Oakland. Houston rewarded him with a two-year extension last year, but as Edwards has seen plenty of times before, the deal was cut short before it could expire after only one year.

The new contract details have not been released, but it likely brings him back for less money in 2026. As Clowney and Edwards return to man the Texans’ defensive line, it will be as rotation pieces off the bench. Tommy Togiai and Sheldon Rankins return to the starting lineup a year after PFF ranked them as the ninth- and 27th-best interior defenders last season, respectively. Edwards will compete for snaps behind them with Logan Hall and second-round Ohio State rookie Kayden McDonald, while Clowney will be coming off the bench to rotate in for starting ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr.

In order to make room for the two on the roster, the Texans waived offensive tackle Derrick Graham and running back Evan Hull, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.