4 Texans UDFAs Have Chance to Steal 53-Man Roster Spot

These four Texans players could have the best shot of competing for a roster spot.

Nov 29, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington (6) carries the ball against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Following the 2026 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans brought in a select 12 undrafted free agents alongside their incoming class of rookies to help round out their roster to 90 players and bring in some added competition to a handful of position groups.

With the right offseason and training camp to put this staff on notice, any of those 12 players could eventually find a bid on the 53-man roster come Week 1 if they really burst onto the scene.

But based on some new contract and guarantee numbers surfacing around the Texans' 12 UDFAs, it gives us a rough idea of which names Houston brought in that might have the best shot of landing on the roster, simply because of the financial investment the team has made in them.

NFLTradeRumors.co recently uncovered what each of the Texans' 12 UDFAs contract guarantees look like right ahead of OTAs, where four of those players had guarantees stretching over $200,000:

- OT James Neal III ($277.5K)
- RB Noah Whittington ($267.5K)
- CB Collin Wright ($262.5K)
- WR Jalen Walthall ($220K)

A couple of other names right on the cusp of that $200K mark––such as offensive lineman Sam Hagen's $195K and cornerback Stephen Hall's $190K––could also find their way into a competitive roster battle themselves as well. But the four aforementioned guys are the ones that immediately jump off the page.

The high number of guaranteed wins won't exactly ensure that each will find their way to a roster spot in Week 1. Far from it. Instead, it showcases the type of extra incentive offered to each UDFA upon their arrival to the team to sway them towards signing with the Texans.

Each UDFA makes the same three-year minimum contract for whatever the value is determined to be for that year, which happens to be at $3.1 million for the 2026 season. Any other money offered is just added on top in the form of guarantees or a signing bonus, like the collective $1.03 million paid out to their top four signings.

The Name to Circle: James Neal III

Iowa State former offensive line James Neal runs as NFL socouts look at the speed during NFL football pro-day at Bergstrom Football Complex on March 24, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Of all of the Texans' UDFAs, Neal comes in with the highest value of them all, and adds further optimism that he could be one of the lucky undrafted signings to make a case on the 53-man roster.

He's got a $30K signing bonus pairing with a $247K guarantee that could make him a worthwhile candidate to fill into their offensive tackle room.

Houston didn't select a tackle within any of their eight selections in the draft that leaves an opening for someone like Neal to compete for one of the final spots on the depth chart behind primary backups Trent Brown and Blake Fisher.

To add on top of his roster fit and the financial investment, Neal is also an Iowa State alum, which the Texans have coveted highly through the past few years with guys like Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, and as recently as this offseason, David Montgomery.

Adding the former tackle from the Cyclones roster— who started on the left side for a year and a half— could continue their trend of farming players from the Midwest school, as they have a grand total of six on their roster rolling into OTAs.

In reality, the Texans' roster decisions will become much clearer once players are on the practice field in the weeks ahead of the start of next season. But in the meantime, this might give us some early indications as to what to expect later down the line.

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