Texans Stand Pat at Trade Deadline as AFC South Reloads

With the NFL trade deadline come and gone, the Houston Texans opted to hold off from making a move as the league buzzer sounded, deciding to roll with their current squad at 3-5 heading into the second half of the season.

But as the Texans held firm at the deadline with their roster on hand, the teams sitting ahead of them in the AFC South wound up taking a different approach.

On the last day of deals around the NFL, both the 7-2 Indianapolis Colts and the 5-3 Jacksonville Jaguars decided to make some shake-ups to help bolster their chances of finding a lead in the division.

Colts, Jaguars Make Deadline Moves as Texans Stay Silent

Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Colts, of course, made the biggest move of anyone throughout the day in their decision to beef up their secondary, trading two first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell to the New York Jets in exchange for cornerback Sauce Gardner; a two-time All-Pro, and one of the best young names at his position.

BREAKING: Jets are trading CB Sauce Gardner to the Colts. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/MRT06JrHze
— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2025

A large price to pay for any talent in the NFL, but as the Colts see an opening to compete with their standing atop the conference, Chris Ballard and the Indianapolis front office opted to get aggressive to help bolster their upside defensively.

As for the Jaguars, their move wasn't as groundbreaking, as they traded for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers from the Las Vegas Raiders for a fourth-round and sixth-round pick, but nonetheless, it offers a nice upgrade to their offense, and to a pass-catching corps that's been banged up with injuries in recent weeks.

TRADE: Raiders trade WR Jakobi Meyers to Jaguars in exchange for a 4th and 6th-round pick. (via @rapsheet, @tompelissero) pic.twitter.com/E6Cpmb25aQ
— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2025

In the process of both the Colts' and Jaguars' acquisitions, each of their respective front offices wound up making a bit of a statement: they're not sitting on their hands and being complacent with their current roster, instead deciding to take a swing with a talent on the market, and in their minds, best positioning themselves for a strong second half to the season.

The Texans, however, took a different approach to their trade deadline. Stuck two games under .500 and needing a spark to get back into the playoff picture, Nick Caserio and Co. decided that spark wasn't to be found on the trade market. They believe those positive strides can be discovered in-house.

Texans Decide to Stick With Current Roster

Dec 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio walks on the field before the game against the Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Is it the right approach to take from the Texans front office at such a critical point in the year? Time will be the judge of that, but on the surface, it's easy to see some worthy criticism come toward Caserio's way for sticking with a roster that hasn't proven to post consistent and sustainable success, mainly residing on the offensive side of the ball.

Even for just a minor move to bring in offensive line depth or another weapon to support the existing arsenal for C.J. Stroud would show some bit of effort from the Texans upstairs in order to construct this team as playoff-caliber. Houston also has extra draft capital in the bank from their move to trade Laremy Tunsil this offseason, offering added flexibility to add on some talent around the edges.

In the end, though, those more prominent moves will have to wait until next offseason. The Texans, in the meantime, are also bound to sit back and watch those new acquisitions look to make a difference around the division, and in their case, still have one matchup on deck against the Jaguars, and two more against the Colts set to transpire in the second half of the year.

We'll see if Caserio's decision to pass during this deadline will be proven right, but if the Texans continue to falter, expect the budding questions to keep coming as well.

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