Texans veteran Mario Edwards Jr. earns admirable league-wide distinction

Once upon a time, Mario Edwards Jr. was one of the most highly-touted defensive tackle prospects not just in the state of Texas, but in all of high school football history. After three years at Florida State, Edwards entered the 2015 NFL Draft where he was selected 35th overall by the then-Oakland Raiders. In the years since, Edwards has bounced around the NFL, playing for six teams before finally landing with the Houston Texans ahead of the 2024 season. Now, despite being only a rotation piece along the Texans defensive line, Mario Edwards Jr. seems right at home in Houston, and naturally, when you feel at home, there's often a desire to give back to the community you've been welcomed into. That's precisely what Edwards has done, and he's narrowed his focus specifically on helping the men and women in the Houston area who have served in the military. For his efforts, Edwards has been named the Houston Texans' nominee for the 2025 Salute to Service Award, given each year since 2011 to a current player, forme