Texans Waive P Jack Stonehouse Amid Punting Competition

Today, the Texans waived undrafted rookie punter Jack Stonehouse, leaving trade acquisition Kai Kroeger as the only punter on the roster, at the moment, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. In a corresponding move, the team signed running back Owen Wright.

Houston moved on from punter Tommy Townsend this offseason, sending a 2028 sixth-round pick to New Orleans in exchange for Kroeger and a 2028 seventh-rounder. Just because the team made a move to secure Kroeger, though, didn’t mean that he was guaranteed the job as the primary punter. With Kroeger as their only punter last season, New Orleans ranked dead last in the NFL in yards per punt and net yards per punt and 28th in the league in percentage of punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Additionally, not that this is necessarily Kroeger’s fault, but the Saints also tied for the most punts blocked (2) in the NFL last year.

Looking for competition for Kroeger, the Texans took a chance on undrafted Syracuse punter Jack Stonehouse. As the son of former NFL punter John Stonehouse and the cousin of former second-team All-Pro punter Ryan Stonehouse, it’s clear Jack has the pedigree to be an NFL punter, but the latest Stonehouse made a name for himself during his time with the Orange, after transferring from Missouri. When it was announced that Stonehouse was signing with Houston, head coach DeMeco Ryans claimed a punting competition was expected for the offseason.

In what appeared to be a worrying sign for the punting competition, the Texans hosted two specialists for workouts on Thursday: punter Jack Browning and kicker Chris Freeman. Neither specialist has been offered a contract in the two days since, so with Stonehouse getting waived today, it appears Kroeger is in line to secure the primary punting duties for Houston in 2026. Per Wilson, Stonehouse showed a lot of upside, but Houston preferred experience and polish with Kroeger.