Texans Release Veteran Defender Ahead of Wild Card Game

The Houston Texans have parted ways with one veteran defender just under 24 hours from kicking off their Wild Card matchup vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to a report from NFL insider Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Texans are releasing defensive end Darrell Taylor.

The move, per Wilson, is to make space on the 53-man roster for the return of rookie safety Jaylen Reed from injured reserve, who is ready to return against the Steelers, but needed one player on the roster released to make space for his elevation. That necessary cut would inevitably end up being Taylor.

"Texans are releasing veteran defensive end Darrell Taylor Jr today, per a league source. Needed a roster spot to activate rookie safety Jaylen Reed from IR designated for return."

PITTSBURGH -- #Texans are releasing veteran defensive end Darrell Taylor Jr today, per a league source. Needed a roster spot to activate rookie safety Jaylen Reed from IR designated for return @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 12, 2026

Texans Release DE Darrell Taylor Before Steelers Game

Taylor was in just his first season with the Texans for the 2025 campaign after coming aboard from the Chicago Bears, for a year that was injury-riddled throughout, as the 28-year-old defensive end would only appear in four games within his Houston tenure.

During those appearances, Taylor would log three total tackles, having played 35 total snaps on defense within those four games he was healthy.

Taylor was a second-round pick at 48th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Seattle Seahawks. During his five years in the pros, the veteran defender has 126 career tackles, 24.5 combined sacks, and 22 tackles for loss—a majority of that production coming during his time stationed in the Pacific Northwest, where he put together 21.5 of those total sacks.

Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Darrell Taylor (52) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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With Taylor now reportedly healthy and hitting free agency, he has the ability to sign with any playoff team that were to covet his services, which could be worth a look for teams in need of defensive line depth, and could take a flier on the 28-year-old with just a few games to go on the NFL calendar.

Coincidentally, two of Taylor's former teams—the Bears and the Seahawks—are still in the hunt within the NFC heading into the divisional round, which could be a pair of destinations to look towards if he were to get any interest on the open market; a process that could take place as soon as this week.

As for the Texans, they'll be set to move forward with their already-stout defensive line upfront by the lead of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter off the edge, who have combined for 27 total sacks across their electric 2025 campaign, being the driving force behind their number-one ranked defense for yards allowed per game and EPA allowed per play.

Against the Steelers, they'll also be getting some reinforcements within their secondary in the form of Jaylen Reed, who has been out of the mix dating back to Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts when he suffered a broken forearm, but now healthy and back from Injured Reserve for the second time this season, will come in handy to help their standout secondary.

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