Houston Texans

With $27.1M in current room but $60.8M in dead money and a projected $17.7M over the cap next season, the Texans must cut aggressively now or face a financially crippling offseason.

32 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Four starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

This roster's top strength is its defensive secondary and edge corps, while the offensive interior line is the weakest spot, with multiple starters hovering near or below replacement level.

• LShigh
• Pmedium

  Kai Kroeger is the only true punter on the roster at 68 overall, making upgrading the punting game a medium priority.

• QBlow

  C.J. Stroud is a capable starter, but the backup situation behind him is thin, with Davis Mills and Graham Mertz both as fringe roster options.

• Air RaidoffensiveGood

  The Air Raid maximizes C.J. Stroud's passing ability and feeds Nico Collins and Tank Dell in a spread-friendly system that fits the roster's pass-catching depth.

• [EA] 4-3 QuartersdefensiveGood

  The 4-3 Quarters scheme leverages Will Anderson Jr and Danielle Hunter off the edges while letting Derek Stingley Jr, Kamari Lassiter, and Calen Bullock thrive in a coverage-heavy back end.

• 66Davis MillsQBDavis Mills is the No. 2 QB behind Stroud with little upside at 66 overall, and releasing him frees $6.0M against $2.0M in dead money.Frees $6.0M · $2.0M dead
• 70Jarrett PattersonRGJarrett Patterson sits third on the RG depth chart behind Ed Ingram and Febechi Nwaiwu, and cutting him frees $3.7M with only $40K in dead money.Frees $3.7M · $40.0K dead
• 68Tremon SmithCBTremon Smith is a 30-year-old twilight CB who functions primarily as a returner, and his release frees $2.5M against $1.0M in dead money.Frees $2.5M · $1.0M dead
• 71Jake AndrewsCJake Andrews is the backup center behind Keylan Rutledge and carries a clean cut with $3.7M freed and zero dead money.Frees $3.7M · $0 dead
• 73Xavier HutchinsonWRXavier Hutchinson sits outside the top three on a deep WR depth chart, and releasing him frees $3.7M against just $40K in dead money.Frees $3.7M · $40.0K dead

The Houston Texans are built around a ferocious young defense led by Will Anderson Jr, Derek Stingley Jr, and Kamari Lassiter, paired with a budding offensive talent in C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins. The pieces for contention are present, but the team carries $60.8M in dead money, ranking 6th in the league, and projects to be $17.7M over the cap next season, which will force difficult roster decisions. Danielle Hunter and Trent Brown are entering the late stages of their careers, and several interior offensive linemen are stopgap options rather than long-term answers. Azeez Al-Shaair and David Montgomery are productive contributors now but will need succession planning in the medium term. The next two seasons represent the optimal window to compete while the young core of Anderson, Stingley, Lassiter, and Calen Bullock continues to develop, but the cap picture demands aggressive roster management before the team can truly make a sustained push.

The Houston Texans were awarded to Houston businessman Bob McNair on October 6, 1999 for a then-record $700 million expansion fee, restoring pro football to a city that lost the Oilers to Tennessee in 1997. They began play in 2002 under head coach Dom Capers, drafting QB David Carr first overall, and beat the Dallas Cowboys 19-10 in their debut, the first expansion team to win its opener since the 1961 Vikings. Early years were rough, but the franchise turned in the 2010s: native Houstonian Gary Kubiak (2006-2013) built a balanced roster around Andre Johnson and Arian Foster, and after drafting J.J. Watt 11th overall in 2011 and hiring Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator, Houston won its first AFC South title in 2011 and first playoff game (31-10 over Cincinnati), repeating as champs in 2012. Under Bill O'Brien (2014-2020) they added four more division titles but never advanced past the divisional round. After a rebuild under David Culley (2021) and Lovie Smith (2022), the hiring of DeMeco Ryans and drafting of C.J. Stroud in 2023 sparked a fast turnaround with division titles in 2023 and 2024 and a wild-card berth in 2025. The Texans have won eight AFC South titles but have never reached a conference championship game or Super Bowl, the only franchise never to appear in a conference title game. In the 2025 playoffs, Houston won its first-ever road playoff game, 30-6 over Pittsburgh, before losing 28-16 to New England in the divisional round.