C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins Headline Texans’ Five Team Captains

The Houston Texans have officially revealed their captains for the 2025 NFL season.

According to a team announcement, the Texans will have five captains for the year ahead: quarterback C.J. Stroud, wide receiver Nico Collins, running back Dare Ogunbowale, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, and edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.

Stamped with a C 🫡 pic.twitter.com/79JJtb7EqI
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 3, 2025

It's a bit of a different look from what the Texans rolled out a season ago for their slate of captains, both with a few expected names and a couple of surprises.

While it won't be the first time for Stroud, Anderson Jr., and Al-Shaair being captains on this Texans roster, as they had the C patch on their jerseys last year, nearly half of last season's group of captains were phased out for one reason or another.

Three of Houston's previous captains: left tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and long snapper Jon Weeks, have since left the roster, and safety Jimmie Ward, who was also a captain across the 2024 campaign, has dealt with his respective questions for his availability across this offseason leading up to the season.

That opened the door for the Texans to name two new captains before this year kicked off, both on the offensive side of the ball in the form of Nico Collins and Dare Ogunbowale– a pair of tenured names in the locker room, and a duo that clearly has the respect of those on the roster.

Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Collins comes in as an obvious entry, being the clear alpha of this receiver room, and one of the few returning faces offensively from the 2024 season. But of the entire set, Ogunbowale is the one name that sticks out among the crowd as the most eye-catching. While not the lead back in this offense and a starter for just one game in the 2024 season, Ogunbowale is extremely well-liked in the building from both the staff and his teammates, and that's clearly shown through the captain vote.

The new group of five captains will be set to take the field for the first time when the Texans travel to face the Los Angeles Rams for their season opener on Sunday, September 7th.

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