Texans Upcoming Free Agents: All 19 Players Ranked by Importance to Re-Sign

While the Houston Texans are set to retain most of their key pieces on the roster heading into the 2026 offseason, they'll have a handful of notable free agents hitting the market next month that the front office will be tasked with trying to re-sign or let walk to another team.

In all, the Texans have 19 free agents to keep track of once free agency opens. The front office will be bound to re-sign a handful of those faces to return for another season or more, but of course, there are a few that might've played their last snap with the Texans and won’t be on track to re-sign.

So, as the Texans' assortment of free agents hit the market in the coming weeks, it's time to take a look at who exactly fans will have to keep an eye on, and who in free agency Houston needs to make an effort to re-sign, and some who won't be worth offering another contract to.

Let's break it down:

Must Re-Sign

Nov 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (90) runs for a touchdown after recovering a fumble by the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

1. Sheldon Rankins, DT

The Texans' veteran defensive tackle was an underrated key piece of the team's dominant front seven, having started every game upfront on the interior of Houston's defensive line, and logged 35 tackles with five tackles for loss for a bit of a resurgence following his shorted 2024 campaign with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Houston should prioritize retaining their defensive line as well as they can after a dominant year of production, and that starts with re-signing Rankins to a new deal.

2. Ed Ingram, OG

Ingram will command a high price on the open market this offseason, and there's a chance he might be outside of the Texans' budget. But Houston would certainly benefit from retaining one of their best offensive linemen upfront for another season, especially someone like Ingram with the chance of having multiple good years ahead of him at age 27.

3. Tim Settle Jr., DT

Settle wasn't as productive as his defensive tackle counterpart in Rankins, and he saw his 2025 season cut short to just 12 games due to a foot injury. However, keeping the 28-year-old in-house with another contract would allow the Texans to retain further continuity on their elite defensive front, and thus allow him a chance to rebound from an injury-shortened campaign in Houston.

Of Some Importance

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans punter Tommy Townsend (6) punts the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

4. Tommy Townsend, P

The 2022 All-Pro punter has stuck out as one of the best at his position while with the Texans the past two seasons. Bringing Townsend back, even if he's one of the higher-paid punters in the league, would be a worthwhile investment in Houston's special teams.

5. Trent Brown, OT

Trent Brown wound up filling in as the Texans' full-time starting right tackle down the second half stretch of the season, and was one of the few pieces to help Houston's offensive line pan out better than it did in 2024. There are availability and health concerns of note, but there's a good possibility he’s back as the offense's starting right tackle for 2026.

6. M.J. Stewart, S

M.J. Stewart would be a quality starting safety for the Texans for the first half of the 2025 season before going down for the second half of the year with a quad injury. As long as he's healthy, though, Houston should have interest in bringing him back as a welcomed returning piece for this secondary that was among the best in the NFL.

7. E.J. Speed, LB

Speed was mainly a depth piece for the Texans' linebacker core in his first season with the team, having played in over 50% of defensive snaps through six games on the year, but he was relatively productive in limited opportunities. He finished the season with a 62.9 run defense rating via PFF, and could be a cheap option to bring back on their defense for another year.

8. Myles Bryant, CB

Through the Texans' safety unit's consistent injury troubles in the second half of the year, it was the versatile Myles Bryant as one of the depth pieces stepping up as a serviceable piece to fill in their secondary. As a returning veteran, a new team-friendly deal for Bryant makes sense for Houston.

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9. Derek Barnett, DE

For being a depth piece on the defensive line behind Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter off the edge, Barnett had solid production in his role on the Texans' defense, logging over 20 tackles and five sacks while being available in every game throughout the season. With that consistency in mind, Houston might have good reason to bring him back heading into what will be his age-30 season.

10. Dare Ogunbowale, RB

Not the most productive piece of the Texans' offense in his fourth year with the team, having barely eclipsed 100 yards from scrimmage and falling behind both Woody Marks and Nick Chubb in the depth chart. But there is something to be said about Ogunbowale being entrusted as a team captain. Perhaps that locker room presence alone keeps him in the running back room for one more season.

Not a Priority

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) celebrates a touchdown in the second quarter against the New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

11. Christian Kirk, WR

Christian Kirk had his moments of solid production throughout his first season with the Texans, and especially so in his first playoff outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. But between his up-and-down health through the season and the emergence of other wideouts on the roster, Kirk falls just outside of being a priority re-signing for Houston.

12. Nick Chubb, RB

Nick Chubb started the season off in a bit of a backfield split between him and Woody Marks, but gradually faded down the Texans' depth chart as the year progressed. Now at age 30 with a brutal injury history, there might not be a ton of incentive for Houston to lean on another year of Chubb in the backfield.

13. Christian Harris, LB

Christian Harris is a tenured name in the Texans' linebacker room, having appeared in 46 regular-season games for them across the past four years. However, this year he was largely relegated to a special teams role, and if Houston wanted to re-invest their money elsewhere, it wouldn't be a shock to see Harris on a new squad in 2026 because of it.

14. Denico Autry, DE

In what was his second season with the Texans, Denico Autry wound up struggling with injury all season as a constant entry on the injury report, and failed to establish a major role in Houston's defense that warrants another contract as he'll be entering his age-36 season in the pros.

15. Harrison Bryant, TE

Harrison Bryant was elevated into a bigger role within the Texans' tight end room following the injuries suffered by Cade Stover and Brevin Jordan early in the year. Now that both of them are healthy, though, Bryant won't be at the top of Houston's priority list for free agency.

16. Folorunso Fatukasi, DT

The Texans' defensive tackle group got slim as the year went on due to injuries suffered to both Tim Settle Jr. and Mario Edwards, which allowed Folorunso Fatukasi to jump into a more prominent role in the second half of the season. Now that the group is set to be healthier in 2026, the need for Fatukasi on the roster in 2026 shrinks.

17. Naquan Jones, DT

A very similar case to Fatukasi, Naquan Jones played four games following his addition from waivers via the LA Chargers, but doesn't have a clear fit on Houston's 2026 roster now that the position will be back to better health.

18. Damone Clark, LB

Another waiver addition from mid-season, Clark played six games for the Texans after being waived from the Dallas Cowboys, and now hits the open market this summer. Time will tell if Houston makes a push to bring him onto the 2026 roster.

19. Braxton Berrios, WR

The 2021 All-Pro special teamer couldn’t crack a consistent role in the Texans' game-day lineup throughout the year, having played just four games on the season where he wasn't a healthy scratch, and played just 72 snaps on the year altogether. There's no need for Houston to invest in his services for another season.

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