Five Texans Who Will Ride Surging Stock Into Training Camp

The Houston Texans are now a couple of weeks removed from their offseason program, where we got our first real look at this new and improved roster through both OTAs and minicamp. It's the last time this group will be in the building until training camp arrives in late July.

However, even with a little over a month's buffer in between practices, several players on the Texans' roster look like they'll be riding the high of a strong offseason into training camp that instills some extra confidence for what their 2026 season might look like for one reason or another.

Of course, it's easy to overreact to what players can look like in OTAs without full contact or pads, but if those performances are a sign of anything, a few guys are already jumping out as one who could be a pleasant surprise for the year ahead.

Let's sort through five players on the Texans' roster who will have their stock surging in the right direction leading into next month's training camp:

Lewis Bond | WR

Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Lewis Bond 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' wide receiver depth has looked pretty settled dating as far back as free agency this offseason. There's five names in the mix that are either proven to be reliable, or are young, high-potential options to lean on that makes the WR1-5 spots pretty locked in for next season.

But if the Texans wanted to carry six or seven wideouts into their Week 1 roster, sixth-round pick Lewis Bond is making a truly compelling case to do just that.

He's been one of the more impressive playmakers in Houston's passing offense during their offseason program reps with his stout route-running and hands ability that might make him one of the early favorites to sneak into the back-end of this wide receiver group.

Sure, he might not be one to claim a large target share once getting to the season, but getting a bid on the 53-man roster is a great start to be had for a rookie added via a late-day three pick like Bond.

Brevin Jordan | TE

Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Brevin Jordan arrives for the team’s minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Texans' battle in the tight end room during camp will be one of the more interesting to watch among those on the roster. Virtually every spot on the depth chart, outside of Dalton Schultz, feels like it could shift pretty drastically between now and Week 1 of the season.

But Brevin Jordan has been the name to watch in this room since the offseason program kicked off. He's been stuck on Injured Reserve for the past two seasons due to multiple leg injuries, but has shown no signs of falling off a cliff since then.

He's continued to showcase his unique combination of size, speed, and pass-catching ability that makes him a compelling vertical threat for Nick Caley to utilize in the offense, and has upside as a blocker that makes him a useful asset to have in heavy personnel.

He might not be there just yet, but don't be shocked if Jordan ends up as the TE2 on the Texans' depth chart by the time training camp wraps up in August.

Trent Brown | OT

Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Trent Brown (77) is introduced before playing against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

One of the Texans' bigger moves from this year's free agency came from when the front office decided to pay out a $20 million deal to former Indianapolis Colts tackle Braden Smith to help shore up the right side of their offensive line.

However, that hefty deal for Smith still might not make him a lock for that right tackle spot–– because Trent Brown has already seen a fair share of reps at the position throughout Houston's offseason program.

Granted, Smith has been recovering from a neck injury that he's been dealing with dating back to last season. So to this point, he still hasn't gotten a true opportunity to compete with Brown for those first-team reps.

But at least through OTAs and minicamp, Brown has been the clear option to turn to for this coaching staff, which makes sense given his existing time as a starter on Houston's offensive line, and might be a hint that this right tackle battle is a little more wide open than initially thought.

Will Anderson Jr. | EDGE

Oct 20, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) celebrates a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

It's hard to have your stock much higher than the point that Will Anderson's is at right now.

He's coming into the year as the best bet to be the number one edge talent in the AFC following Myles Garrett's departure to the LA Rams, and has continued to get increasingly better every single season since being drafted to Houston in 2023.

But Anderson's already gotten a great deal of praise from both various players and voices on the coaching staff that makes you think that he could be a serious contender for Defensive Player of the Year later this season.

The most notable piece of that praise came from OTAs when head coach DeMeco Ryans made note of Anderson continuously "wrecking" practice, joking that he may have to hold him out of the action so the team can "actually practice."

DeMeco Ryans after Will Anderson "wrecked" the #Texans' practice during day 2 of OTAs:

🗣️"I'm probably gonna have to sit him out here soon. We have to be able to actually practice." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/4opZHxyOlW
— Houston Texans On SI (@TexansOnSI) May 28, 2026

Considering Anderson was able to "wreck practice" while players weren't even in full pads, that tends to be a good sign of what this next season could look like on his behalf.

Jamal Hill | LB

Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Jamal Hill (56) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Another player that DeMeco Ryans has highlighted in camp is fourth-year linebacker Jamal Hill, who will be heading into a pivotal season of his time in Houston because of the opportunuity he has on his hands.

That's because of the wide-open nature that's in play for the Texans' LB3 spot; now left up for grabs following E.J. Speed's season-ending quad injury, and now leaves Houston searching for the best next man up to claim those reps as their primary depth off-ball linebacker.

Hill has a great shot to do just that. Not only has he had the most time in the Texans' building out of those competing alongside him––mainly Wade Woodaz and Marte Mapu––but his skillset as a former defensive back converting to linebacker tends to help him work well in coverage and fit what Houston needs out of Speed's replacement.

Again, that LB3 spot looks pretty wide open just a month away from camp. So there's no guarantees Hill can make the necessary strides to rise up the depth chart. But he'll at least be right in the mix to do so.

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