Houston Texans

Will Anderson Jr.

DE

Anderson's extension includes $134 million in guaranteed money and gives him the highest salary in NFL history for a non-quarterback. This contract also includes a no-trade clause. The 2023 first-round pick has been among the most dominant defenders in the NFL since entering the league, generating 30.0 sacks through three regular seasons.

C.J. Stroud

QB

Stroud thus remains under contract through 2027, though his fifth-year option being picked up doesn't necessarily preclude Houston from inking the 24-year-old quarterback to an extension. Trade rumors surrounded Stroud early in the offseason, but GM Nick Caserio doubled down on the team's long-term commitments to the 2023 first-round pick during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine and the league's annual owners meetings. Across 14 regular-season appearances in 2025, Stroud threw for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, the lowest TD and yardage totals of his career to date. The case for Stroud to rebound for fantasy purposes next year relies on projecting wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to take a step forward in Year 2 alongside No. 1 WR Nico Collins, and potentially also for Tank Dell (knee) to resume producing after missing all of 2025. The Texans also have Xavier Hutchinson, Justin Watson and TE Dalton Schultz (calf) rounding out the receiving corps.

Marte Mapu

LB

New England informed Mapu on Tuesday of plans to cut him, but it appears Houston stepped in before such a transaction could be completed. Per Alexander, the trade involves a swap of late-round picks. Mapu totaled 25 tackles (18 solo), five passes defensed (including one interception) and one forced fumble across 17 regular-season appearances in 2025, playing 120 snaps on defense and 254 snaps on special teams.

Tank Dell

WR

Dell hasn't played since tearing most of the ligaments in his left knee while also dislocating his kneecap in a Dec. 21, 2024 game against the Chiefs. While Ryans is hopeful that Dell will be able to contribute at some point this coming season, he doesn't plan to rush the 2023 third-rounder back. "I told Tank, it's not a matter of getting back to OTAs just to get back," Ryans said. "It's just a matter of getting back, being in a really good spot physically so you can stay there. It's not about how quickly he returns, it's just about Tank returning." Once Dell is able to return to the field, he'll join a Houston WR corps that's led by Nico Collins and also includes Jayden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel and Justin Watson. Prior to his injury, the 26-year-old had compiled a 98-1,376-10 line on 156 targets over the course of 25 regular-season contests.

Wyatt Teller

G

Teller was released by the Browns on March 12 but quickly found a new home in Houston. The veteran guard spent seven seasons in Cleveland, starting 95 of his 101 regular-season games and earning All-Pro honors in 2020 and 2021. Teller is expected to fortify a Texans offensive line that allowed just 31 sacks during the regular season in 2025.

Evan Brown

G

Brown is an NFL veteran who began his career as a backup but has worked mostly as a starter over the past five seasons. Last year, he started all 11 games in which he played as a member of the Cardinals. Brown is a candidate to start at left guard for Houston, though he could compete with Jarrett Patterson for that role.

David Montgomery

RB

Per Wilson, Montgomery's new deal comes with a $6.5 million signing bonus, $1.5 million guaranteed in 2026 and $2.5 million guaranteed in 2027. The new contract comes nearly two weeks after the Texans acquired Montgomery from the Lions in exchange for Juice Scruggs, a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick. With Joe Mixon (foot) being released by the Texans on March 6 and Nick Chubb entering free agency, Montgomery and Woody Marks are slated to serve as Houston's top backfield options for the 2026 season.

Trent Brown

OT

Brown missed time toward the tail end of the 2025 season due to ankle and knee injuries. He's progressed enough in his recovery to start lifting weights at the Texans' facility and could be available for the start of offseason programming. Brown started at right tackle in all 13 regular-season games he appeared in last year, but he'll likely operate in a reserve role in 2026 after Houston signed Braden Smith to a two-year, $25 million contract Tuesday.

Foster Moreau

TE

Moreau appears fully recovered from the ankle injury that limited him to 11 regular-season appearances with the Saints in 2025, in which span he secured seven of 10 targets for 46 yards. He had been heavily involved in New Orleans' tight end rotation in 2024, when he logged a 32-413-5 receiving line (43 targets) while playing all 17 regular-season games. Going forward, Moreau will operate as one of Houston's top options behind starting TE Dalton Schultz (calf), who recently inked an extension through 2027.

Woody Marks

RB

The Texans gave up a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round pick and OL Juice Scruggs in exchange for Montgomery, who has one season remaining on a three-year contract. A new deal may be coming soon. Either way, Marks likely will be No. 2 on the depth chart at the start of the offseason program after posting a 198-703-2 rushing line (3.6 YPC) during the regular season of his 2025 rookie campaign (16 games, eight starts). Fellow second-year pro Jawhar Jordan should be back to compete for a depth role in Houston's backfield this spring, while veterans Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon (foot) don't seem to be part of the plan for 2026.

Logan Hall

DE

Hall spent the first four seasons of his career with the Buccaneers, where he compiled 10.0 sacks across 66 regular-season games. The 25-year-old will likely serve as one of Houston's top rotational options at defensive end behind Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter during the upcoming campaign.

Kai Kroeger

P

Kroeger's services were no longer required in New Orleans, as the team is slated to sign Ryan Wright to a four-year contract. Kroeger will seemingly handle punting and holding duties for the Texans during the 2026 campaign.

Braden Smith

OT

Smith is set to sign a two-year, $25 million deal, which includes $13.5 million fully guaranteed. In Smith, the Texans are acquiring one of the top tackles on the market to help protect C.J. Stroud, who was sacked 23 times across 14 regular-season games in 2025.

Jake Hummel

LB

Hummel played all 17 regular-season games for the Ravens in 2025, collecting 18 tackles (nine solo) in his primarily special-teams role. The linebacker was only called to play more than two defensive snaps once, which occurred in Baltimore's Week 4 loss to the Chiefs, where he logged 28 defensive snaps on top of his 22 special-teams snaps. Hummel makes a strong special-teams addition with upside as a reserve linebacker for a dominant Texans defense.

Ka'imi Fairbairn

PK

The contract is a two-year, $13 million extension, which makes Fairbairn the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. The 32-year-old made NFL history during the 2025 season by tying David Akers' 2011 record for most field goals in a single season with 44. This extension will provide key continuity on special teams for the Texans as they chase a fourth consecutive playoff berth in the 2026 season.

Reed Blankenship

S

An undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee, Blankenship emerged as a key contributor to the Eagles' defense since joining the team in May of 2022. He finished with 83 tackles (53 solo), four pass defenses (one interception), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery across 16 regular-season games in 2025 while playing over 1,000 defensive snaps for the first time in his NFL career. The Texans boasted one of the best defensive units in the league in 2025, and the addition of Blankenship bolsters a strong secondary that also includes Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre and Jaylen Reed.

Dominique Robinson

DE

Robinson spent the last four seasons handling a depth role at defensive end for Chicago, and he'll now settle into a similar gig within Houston's vaunted pass rush corps. Since entering the NFL, the 2022 fifth-round pick has compiled a total of 3.5 sacks.

Ed Ingram

G

Ingram had been slated to hit free agency, but the veteran guard will instead stick with the Texans on a new multi-year deal. The 27-year-old will provide Houston's O-line with some form of stability after the team traded away both Tytus Howard and Juice Scruggs earlier in March. The Texans initially acquired Ingram via a trade with Minnesota during the 2025 offseason.

Sheldon Rankins

DT

Rankins' new contract includes $12 million in guaranteed money. The veteran defensive tackle had been scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent but will instead remain in Houston, where he contributed 3.0 sacks among his 35 tackles (15 solo) while appearing in all 17 regular-season games.

Naquan Jones

DT

Jones can earn an additional $500K via incentives. Houston claimed the 28-year-old defensive lineman off waivers from the Chargers back in December, and Jones appeared in the final four regular-season games in addition to both of the Texans' playoff contests. Jones figures to fill a rotational role along the defensive line.

E.J. Speed

LB

Speed joined the Texans on a one-year deal in March of 2025 after spending the first six years of his NFL career with the Colts. His new deal Saturday includes a $4 million signing bonus and ensures that he'll stick around in Houston for the foreseeable future. Speed finished the 2025 regular season with 62 tackles (33 solo) and one pass defense over 16 games, which broke his streak of 100-tackle seasons at two.

Dalton Schultz

TE

Schultz's contract now contains $17.6 million guaranteed after he set new career highs in targets (106) and catches (82) last season en route to 777 yards and three touchdowns. A reliable safety blanket over the middle for C.J. Stroud, Schultz should remain atop the Texans' depth chart at tight end next season.

Jalen Pitre

S

The restructuring of Pitre's contract adds two void years and creates additional cap space for the Texans ahead of the 2026 season. Pitre is one of Houston's most impactful defenders, recording 74 total tackles and 12 passes defensed, including four interceptions, across just 14 regular-season games while operating as the team's top nickel cornerback last year. The Baylor product is expected to remain a key piece on the Texans' defense, starting alongside Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter.

M.J. Stewart

S

Stewart missed Houston's final eight regular-season games in 2025 due to a quadriceps injury, but it now appears he's moved past the issue. The veteran safety from North Carolina has appeared in 24 regular-season games over the past two seasons, tallying 37 total tackles, two passes defensed and one forced fumble while contributing both on defense (316 snaps) and special teams (447 snaps). If the 30-year-old signs a one-year deal with Houston as expected, he'll likely maintain a similar role during the 2026 season.

Danielle Hunter

DE

Hunter -- who is now under contract with Houston through 2027 -- is coming off of a 2025 campaign during which he compiled 54 total tackles (28 solo), including 15.0 sacks, while also recording three passes defensed, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery over 17 regular-season games. The defensive lineman has combined to produced 27.0 sacks over two years with the Texans, and his new extension certainly reflects his value to the franchise. Look for Hunter to have another productive season in 2026 while starting opposite of Will Anderson on Houston's defensive line.