Houston Texans

Houston has $27.1M in current cap room but carries a league-heavy $60.8M in dead money and faces a projected -$17.7M cap hole next season, so every roster move this year carries real financial consequences.

32 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Four starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Houston holds six picks in the upcoming draft, including a first-rounder, and boasts three first-round picks across a three-year horizon totaling 20 selections, giving the front office genuine rebuild-or-reload ammunition.

• Acquired: Round 6 from Browns, this draft
• Acquired: Round 7 from Patriots, this draft
• Acquired: Round 7 from Saints, next draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Patriots, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Browns, this draft
• Traded away: Round 5 to Browns, this draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Saints, next draft

Houston's top strength is its secondary and pass-rush combination, headlined by five defenders rated 85 or higher, while the weakest spot is quarterback depth, where Davis Mills (66 overall) and Graham Mertz (60 overall) offer almost nothing if Stroud goes down.

• QBmedium

  C.J. Stroud starts but ranks 24th among starters, and the backup situation behind him is Davis Mills (66 overall) and Graham Mertz (60 overall), leaving the depth chart dangerously thin if Stroud misses time.

• WILLmedium

  Henry To'oTo'o starts at WILL but ranks 20th at the position, and the depth behind him, Marte Mapu and Wade Woodaz, ranks 27th overall, making this the thinnest linebacker spot on the roster.

• Clow

  Keylan Rutledge starts at center and the depth ranks 4th in the league, so this is more a starter-quality concern than a depth problem, but upgrading the 74-overall Rutledge would solidify the interior.

• DTlow

  Sheldon Rankins starts at a twilight stage of his career and the group ranks 20th at the position, so adding a younger, higher-ceiling interior lineman is worth prioritizing.

• LTlow

  Trent Brown is in the twilight of his career at left tackle, and while the depth ranks 7th, a long-term starter at the position needs to be identified before Brown's window closes.

• 66Davis MillsQBDavis Mills is the second-string quarterback at 66 overall, and releasing him frees $6.0M against $2.0M in dead money, a net savings that can be redirected toward upgrading the roster's most critical depth position.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 against only $40K in dead money, making it a near-clean cap move.Frees $3.7M · $40.0K dead
• 68Tremon SmithCBTremon Smith is a 68-overall corner in a secondary already stacked through three deep, and releasing him frees $2.5M against $1.0M in dead money while clearing a roster spot for younger contributors.Frees $2.5M · $1.0M dead
• 71Jake AndrewsCJake Andrews backs up Keylan Rutledge at center and cutting him frees $3.7M with zero dead money, a clean release that makes financial sense given Rutledge's starter status.Frees $3.7M · $0 dead
• 73Xavier HutchinsonWRXavier Hutchinson sits outside the top three at WR behind Collins, Dell, and Higgins, and his release frees $3.7M against just $40K in dead money, making him one of the most cap-efficient cuts on the roster.Frees $3.7M · $40.0K dead

The Texans are a team with a clear defensive identity and a real offensive weapon in Nico Collins, but the franchise's ceiling over the next two to three seasons hinges almost entirely on C.J. Stroud's development. At 24 with a Star dev trait, Stroud has the tools to become a franchise cornerstone, but he currently ranks 24th among starting quarterbacks and needs support. Will Anderson Jr and Derek Stingley Jr give Houston a generational defensive building block and a shutdown corner to grow around, while Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock add two more 23-year-old Star-dev contributors to a secondary that is already among the best in the league. The concern is that Danielle Hunter and Trent Brown are deep into their careers, Sheldon Rankins is a twilight starter at DT, and the linebacker corps is a weakness. The cap picture is the most pressing front-office challenge: $60.8M in dead money ranks 6th-most in the league and the team projects to be $17.7M over the cap next season, meaning tough roster decisions are coming before reinforcements can be added. With six picks in the upcoming draft, including three first-rounders across a three-year horizon, Houston has the resources to reload intelligently, but the window to win with this defensive core at full strength is now.

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.