4 Texans Players Who Need a Big Week 5 vs. Titans Amid 0-4 Start

The Houston Texans are heading into Week 5 desperate to cling onto their first win of the 2026 season––having lost their initial four games of the year as a few players on both sides of the ball have been a bit underwhelming for one way or another.

Which means, as Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans arrives for the Texans, those struggling players will have to pick up their slack to help change the narrative and get a win on their record books.

Let's take a look at four players in the Texans' lineup who need a big Week 5 against the Titans this weekend, and might just help Houston get over the hump for their first win:

David Montgomery | RB

Oct 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) hands off to running back David Montgomery (32) during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texans' run game really just hasn't found any sense of life since their first outing against the Buffalo Bills, where David Montgomery hauled in three touchdowns with nearly 80 all-purpose yards throughout the day.

In the games that Montgomery has played since that three-touchdown debut, he's logged a total of 27 carries for 67 yards, coming out to less than 2.5 yards per carry throughout. That lack of efficiency and explosiveness has really put a damper on the ceiling of this ground game, and has even led to Woody Marks claiming close to 50% of the snaps in the backfield.

The Texans need a big game from Montgomery against a lackluster Titans team to back up their investment of a fourth-round pick and Juice Scruggs given up for him earlier this offseason. Because right now, it feels as if Houston would like to have that one back.

Dalton Schultz | TE

Oct 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (86) runs onto the field before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Another name on the Texans' offense who had a strong start to the year, yet has been a bit disappointing in recent weeks is tight end Dalton Schultz. In Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Schultz put together an impressive 12 catches for 140 yards without Nico Collins that inspired confidence in what the rest of his season could look like.

But the Texans haven't exactly involved Schultz, or any of their other tight ends on the roster, much at all through the past two games––really in a bit of a head-scratching decision from Houston's coaching staff.

From a broader perspective, the Texans could certainly benefit from giving more opportunities to more than just one of their tight ends. Yet, seeing a pass-catching threat like Schultz start clicking again would be a positive step forward for this offense.

Kamari Lassiter | CB

Oct 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (3) reacts after a play during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We now have had two of the Texans' first four games on the calendar where cornerback Kamari Lassiter has had some of his most overwhelming games as an NFL pro.

In his first game against Buffalo, Lassiter allowed Josh Allen to have a perfect passer rating when he was targeted. Last week against the Dallas Cowboys, he allowed 136 yards and eight receptions on the 11 plays he was targeted on––a lot of which allowed for star wideout CeeDee Lamb to have a career day.

For this Texans secondary to be at its best, Lassiter has to hold his own as the high-end complement to Derek Stingley on a way more consistent basis. Whether it be an individual fix or for the coaching staff to address, Houston's defense has to find better success in the passing game if they want any hopes of climbing back to .500.

Reed Blankenship | S

Sep 27, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Texans safety Reed Blankenship (6) reacts with safety Kamari Ramsey (27) in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The addition of Reed Blankenship into the Texans' secondary this offseason was done with the intent of getting a bit more consistency, talent, and another leader within their safety unit after the position had suffered from a ton of turnover throughout the course of 2025.

However, Blankenship's placement in this Texans defense seems as if it's led to more problems created than problems solved.

He did secure Houston's first interception of the year in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, yet has allowed at least a 109.0 passer rating when targeting, and hasn't seen his zone-heavy fit mesh with the rest of this secondary that excels in man-to-man.

Blankenship showing that his presence really can be valued in this lineup will be big for his stock moving forward. Because if there are any similar secondary struggles from what's been seen over the past few weeks, the coaching staff might just make a change to plug newly-healthy veteran M.J. Stewart into that strong safety spot instead.

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