Houston Texans

Jake Hansen

LB

Hansen was carted off the field Thursday due to the issue, and it seems it will be an elongated recovery period for the 28-year-old. If the linebacker cannot sustain his standard of play once he returns, his special-teams snaps may be earned by other players such as rookies Wade Woodaz or Aiden Fisher.

Layne Pryor

TE

Pryor missed part of the Texans' OTAs in early June due to a quadriceps injury. The tight end has since recovered from the issue and is a full participant in training camp as he attempts to move up the depth chart and survive cutdown day. The 23-year-old out of Iowa has yet to play in an NFL game.

Azeez Al-Shaair

LB

Al-Shaair underwent thumb surgery in early February after suffering an injury near the end of the 2025 regular season and then playing through it in the postseason. The starting middle linebacker has returned to team activities armed with a new $54 million deal and a clean bill of health.

M.J. Stewart

S

It sounds like Stewart is more week-to-week than day-to-day after he was placed on the active/PUP list to begin camp Tuesday. Stewart inked a one-year, $2.7 million deal to remain with the Texans over the offseason after he recorded 25 tackles (15 solo) across nine regular-season appearances in 2025.

Mario Edwards Jr.

DT

Edwards is officially set to return to Houston despite having been released by the team in March. The 32-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Texans and should serve as a depth defensive tackle once again during the upcoming campaign.