7 Texans Players Who Won't Be on the Roster by Week 1

The Houston Texans are still about a month away until their training camp practices officially get rolling. There's about two months to go before teams have to cutdown their current 90-man rosters to a slim 53-man group.

A lot is still bound to shake out for the Texans between now and then. Stocks will rise and fall, and a few surprise cuts will be made in the process.

But based on how the roster stands after a busy offseason, plus OTAs and minicamps now being in the books, a few players onboard currently look like more of a longshot bet to make it to Week One than others–– whether that be due to the extensive depth at their respective positions, their performance from last offseason or throughout this summer, or other potential factors.

Based on what we know now, let's sort through a batch of seven players on the Texans' current roster that feel like they're on the outside looking in of the roster bubble:

Evan Hull | RB

Nov 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Evan Hull (34) carries the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The Texans brought in Hull late in the offseason back in May as a dart throw to add into this running back room. And to be fair, a good training camp and preseason could allow him to surge up as high as RB3 on the depth chart.

But as the landscape stands a month away from the Texans putting the pads on, Jawhar Jordan feels primed to claim that spot, British Brooks feels likely to keep his spot in the running back room as a special teams contributor and a part-time fullback, and Houston has two UDFAs to keep watch of in Joshua Pitsenberger and Noah Whittington.

It feels like just a bit too much of an uphill battle for Hull to climb in making it past cutdown day. And with the pair of UDFAs being a potential pickup on the practice squad, finding his way into that mix will be easier said than done as well.

Jha'Quan Jackson | WR

Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson participates in a drill during the team’s minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Texans brought in Jackson earlier this offseason right ahead of OTAs to give him an outside shot of landing within this packed receiver room. He's shown value as a returner during his first year in the league with the Tennessee Titans, but that won't be enough to secure his spot on what will be a tight fit for the 53-man roster.

There's a solid five-man core in this Texans' receiving room that feels locked into their respective spots. That doesn't even include their sixth-round rookie Lewis Bond or veteran Justin Watson, who each shined during Houston's offseason program. The writing could very well be on the wall for Jackson's future.

Cade Stover | TE

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover (87) warms up before an AFC Divisional Round game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Sure, Stover could make a late push in training camp to secure his spot in this tight end room, and his versatility at fullback gives him another way to make an impact in more ways than one. But the extensive work done to the position from this offseason makes it tough to imagine he's in a favorable position to make it past cutdown day.

His upside as blocker or as a pass-catching threat doesn't match up with the names that seem to be sitting ahead of him in the Texans' tight end hierarchy. Dalton Schultz, Foster Moreau, and a healthy Brevin Jordan all have that edge over him, and Houston certainly won't be cutting ties with their second round rookie Marlin Klein.

That puts Stover squarely on the hot seat for his roster spot, unless Houston wants to carry five tight ends into Week One. Seems pretty unlikely.

Jarrett Patterson | OL

Sep 15, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) celebrates with Houston Texans center Jarrett Patterson (54) after throwing a touchdown pass during the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Patterson has been in the mix for Houston since arriving in the same draft class as C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson in 2023. But this year's competition on the offensive line is a whole lot different than it's been for the past three years.

Between the incoming rookies like Keylan Rutledge and Febechi Nwaiwu, veterans like Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith, and returning pieces from last year's roster locked into their respective slots on the roster, Patterson is far from a lock to make it past cutdown day.

He's got notable chemistry in the building plus versatility to line up across the line at multiple positions that helps his case, but to be one of the top nine to ten talents in the room is a different story.

Kyonte Hamilton | DT

Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton arrives for the team’s minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Texans' 2025 seventh round pick didn't get many reps during his first year in the mix with Houston due to being placed on season-ending IR before the regular season even started. So we truly don't know exactly what he's capable of on an NFL field, or what his health looks like to this point.

But based on the competition on the inside of the Texans' defensive line, it's sure to be an uphill battle to warrant serious consideration to be on the 53-man roster. Sheldon Rankins, Tommy Togiai, Logan Hall, and rookie Kayden McDonald are all roster locks bound to get notable run on the defensive side, and Naquan Jones could be a dark horse to make it past cutdown day as well.

There's just not enough room to squeeze in Hamilton unless he really impresses during training camp. But at 23 years old, if he is cut, he's sure to find a landing spot somewhere else that's willing to take a chance on him.

Jake Hansen | LB

Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Jake Hansen (35) looks up during the game against the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Hansen has been a reliable and consistent figure on the Texans' special teams unit for the past four years, playing in over 70% of Houston's special teams snaps across the last three seasons. Calling him a lock to not make the roster would be irresponsible.

At the same time, the competition at linebacker–– currently with 10 players rostered at the position–– for this camp will be fierce.

Not only for guys looking to find a spot on the defensive side amid E.J. Speed's season-ending injury, but also on special teams as well with new additions like Jake Hummel, and even a rookie like Aiden Fisher looking to find his niche somewhere on the roster. That instantly puts Hansen on the radar as someone to keep close watch on.

M.J. Stewart | S

Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans safety M.J. Stewart (29) waits for a snap during the game against the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Perhaps the boldest call of anyone on this list, Stewart was a productive, starting-level piece on the Texans' defense last season for four games.

But then he got hurt with a torn quad, which sat him out for the rest of the 2025 season, kept him out of OTAs and minicamp leading up to this season, and left Houston to do some major work at safety in that same timeframe by adding new faces like Reed Blankenship and fifth-round rookie Kamari Ramsey.

There are only so many players the Texans can keep in the mix at safety. And Stewart, who's both 30 years old and coming off a major injury, might be on the outside looking in for being one of the lucky ones to be on the 53-man roster.

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