Ranking Every Texans Position Group By Overall Talent and Depth

The Houston Texans have done a ton of work around their roster over the past couple of months to upgrade their outlook for the 2026 season on both sides of the ball.

The offensive line has seen several new additions to help fortify their protection in front of C.J. Stroud. Their elite defense is even deeper, and in all, could finally help the Texans get over the hump of the divisional round hurdle they've been stopped by in the past three seasons.

With those roster upgrades in the books, let's break down how every Texans' position group on the roster is panning out ahead of next season, and rank how each stacks up in terms of talent and depth from best to worst.

11. Running Back

- David Montgomery
- Woody Marks
- Jawhar Jordan
- British Brooks

The Texans' running back room did see a step forward by adding David Montgomery via trade with the Detroit Lions. But compared to every other spot on Houston's depth chart, it still feels like the backfield is still lacking the most star power and depth that slots them into last place.

If Montgomery pops off for an 1,000-yard campaign to truly cement himself as the bellcow back the Texans hoped to acquire, and Marks still makes a big dent as an explosive threat in the run and pass game, there's room for improvement here. For now, they'll be bringing up the rear.

10. Tight End

- Dalton Schultz
- Marlin Klein
- Foster Moreau
- Cade Stover

Another area of the Texans' offense that saw a noticeable investment this offseason in the form of second-rounder Marlin Klein, and even a veteran addition in Foster Moreau, the tight end group is much, much deeper than the situation this room was in last year.

That's good news for this offense, though there's still a bit of projection to be had for how well this tight end group will be as early as 2026.

Klein Klein might need a year of development to truly raise his stock into the day two talent Houston selected him as, and Moreau and Stover are hungry for a bounceback season from what their 2025 sample size showed. 

9. Offensive Tackle

- Aireontae Ersery
- Braden Smith
- Trent Brown
- Blake Fisher
- Jarrett Kingston

The outside of the Texans' offensive line has two nice starting options in Aireontae Ersery and veteran signing Braden Smith, and they also have two strong backups behind them as well, with the versatility to play on the left or right side.

But each one of those top four tackles has some glaring flaw that restricts how high their ceiling could be. For Ersery, it’s ironing out his rookie year inconsistencies and persistent penalty issues, and Smith will have to stay more available than his last three years for Houston's investment to be worthwhile.

Until those kinks are worked out, there are still questions to be had about how strong this revamped offensive line will really be.

8. Quarterback

- C.J. Stroud
- Davis Mills
- Graham Mertz

Say what you want about C.J. Stroud after the ugly end to his last season, but there are several teams around the league who wish this was their current quarterback situation.

Stroud is still a clear starting quarterback in the NFL, and Davis Mills has a real case of being one of the best backups in the league as well. Though that doesn't mean Stroud won't have a ton to prove this season after two turbulent years in his pro development to truly cement his future in Houston.

7. Defensive Tackle

- Sheldon Rankins
- Kayden McDonald
- Logan Hall
- Tommy Togiai
- Kyonte Hamilton
- Naquan Jones

The Texans had a defined focus on tuning up the depth within their interior this offseason, and did so by adding two starting-caliber tackles in second-round pick Kayden McDonald and offseason signing from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Logan Hall.

McDonald could have the chance to lift this unit up a few spots further by the end of the year, depending on how strong he performs in his rookie campaign. For now, he'll have to prove himself as a strong complement to Sheldon Rankins in the middle.

6. Interior Offensive Line

- Wyatt Teller
- Keylan Rutledge
- Ed Ingram
- Evan Brown
- Jake Andrews
- Febechi Nwaiwu
- Jarrett Patterson

Perhaps the area of Houston's roster that saw the most work over the past couple of months, this interior offensive line is miles better than it was in 2025.

Houston added two new, affordable veterans in free agency in Wyatt Teller and Evan Brown, and also selected a pair of versatile pieces in the draft with Keylan Rutledge and Febechi Nwaiwu.

The starting three-man group on the inside could fluctuate between now and the start of next season. But that's a credit to the depth brought in throughout the offseason that effectively gives Houston some optionality.

5. Linebacker

- Azeez Al-Shaair
- Henry To'oTo'o
- EJ Speed
- Marte Mapu
- Jake Hansen
- Jamal Hill
- Wade Woodaz
- Aiden Fisher

There's an underrated amount of depth the Texans have to work with in their group of linebackers, which comes even more appealing when paired with a high-level starting duo of Azeez Al-Shaair, Henry To'oTo'o.

To'oTo'o's expiring contract headed into next season might lead to lingering questions on what his fit looks like in Houston past this year. But for this year alone, the middle of Houston's defense is in pretty good hands from top to bottom.

4. Wide Receiver

- Nico Collins
- Jayden Higgins
- Tank Dell
- Jaylin Noel
- Xavier Hutchinson
- Justin Watson
- Lewis Bond

The Texans' wide receiver group has both the star talent, depth, and upside in terms of youth that make this one of the more exciting collections of names on the roster.

Collins feels like an easy pick to be an 1,000-yard receiver once again this season. Higgins has a perfect route for a year-two leap, and depending on how that third wideout spot shakes out between Dell, Noel, and Hutchinson, there's room for even more optimism for this batch of pass-catchers.

3. Edge Rusher

- Will Anderson
- Danielle Hunter
- Dylan Horton
- Dominique Robinson
- Ali Gaye

Perhaps this is a controversial one, but the Texans' edge rusher spot––while the best in terms of their talent at the top––doesn't have the same depth to match up with a couple of other areas on Houston's defense to be considered their top position group.

Anderson and Hunter combined for over 30 sacks last season. Of course, those are unreal numbers. But the third edge rusher spot behind them is still lacking a bit of juice.

If the Texans can address that before training camp, a late veteran addition could pay major dividends to this pass rush's overall success.

2. Safety

- Reed Blankenship
- Calen Bullock
- Jaylen Reed
- MJ Stewart
- Kamari Ramsey

Another gem of the Texans' defense, their safety unit has both the star power and, most notably, the standout depth that cements them as one of the best parts of their roster altogether.

Blankenship and Bullock present a ton of value as is. But to have two starting-caliber names in Reed and Stewart backing up behind them, and fifth-round rookie Kamari Ramsey joining the fold, that's a ton of chess pieces for DeMeco Ryans and Matt Burke to utilize.

1. Cornerback

- Derek Stingley
- Kamari Lassiter
- Jalen Pitre
- Jaylin Smith
- Tremon Smith
- Ajani Carter
- Alijah Huzzie
- Brandon Codrington

The pinnacle of the Texans' strength on their defensive depth chart, it's truly hard to poke holes in this elite, well-rounded group.

Houston has unquestionably the best three-man starting cornerback duo in All-Pro Derek Stingley, Pro Bowler Kamari Lassiter, and one of the best, hard-hitting nickels in the NFL with Jalen Pitre. That's tough for any offense to throw the ball over.

But the depth below them is pretty impressive as well. 2025 third-rounder Jaylin Smith feels primed for a second-year jump after an injury-shortened rookie campaign, and Tremon Smith held down the Texans' third cornerback role effectively all season long. This is a truly awe-inspiring cornerback group all around.

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