Three Texans Free Agents Who Could Still Re-Sign With Houston

The Houston Texans have remained busy in the first week of NFL free agency by not only bringing in external talent from off the market in Reed Blankenship and Braden Smith, but also in retaining their own internal talent with either new deals or extensions ahead of their free agency in 2027.

But now that some time has passed before the initial wave of free agency action, there are a few lingering players left on the market from the Texans' roster last season that still have a shot to land a new deal from Houston, but haven't quite seen that agreement come to fruition just yet.

A few players that are now free agents for the new league year, whether it be Christian Kirk, Nick Chubb, or Denico Autry, are obvious names who won't be returning to next year's roster. But the same can't be said for a few veterans who had a subtle depth role in the Texans' lineup and played well enough to warrant another deal for the season ahead.

With that in mind, here's a batch of three guys left on the free agent market that could still have a chance to return to Houston in the coming days or weeks.

Derek Barnett | DE

Dec 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Derek Barnett (95) in action during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Texans have made sure to fortify their depth on the defensive line early in free agency by adding a couple of outside veterans: former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Logan Hall, as well as former Chicago Bears defensive end Dominique Robinson.

That might be a hint that the Texans don't plan on prioritizing a new deal for their own free agent defensive end Derek Barnett. But, at the right price, he was productive enough last year to warrant a roster spot as depth in the front seven, and even had reported mutual interest on getting a deal done before free agency kicked off.

Barnett has had 5.0 sacks in each of his past two seasons with the Texans, being active in all but one game throughout his past two-year stretch. At age 30, he's proven to still fill in as a rotational piece off the edge, and could add to this elite defense's depth even further if signed onto a deal for 2026.

Dare Ogunbowale | RB

Dec 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale (33) recovers a fumble during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Texans did make an upgrade to their running back room at the start of the offseason in the form of adding David Montgomery via trade with the Detroit Lions. Between him and second-year back Woody Marks, Houston is well situation with their top-two runners for next season that will hold the bulk of their carries in the backfield.

But in a depth role as the fourth name on the depth chart at the position and a special teams contributor, veteran back Dare Ogunbowale still has a good chance at running it back another year with the Texans, despite not yet having a deal around a week into free agency.

Despite running for the lowest amount of total carries and years since arriving in Houston, Ogunbowale was a team captain for the first time as a well-respected veteran in the locker room. He also tied his highest snap count on special teams in a season (281) within his Texans tenure that could make him a valuable name for Frank Ross to want onboard for 2026.

Myles Bryant | DB

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) stiff-arms away a potential tackle by Houston Texans cornerback Myles Bryant (25) on a touchdown pass during the third quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Similarly to the Texans' running back position, their safety spot also landed a big upgrade in the first few days of Houston's free agency period with their addition of Reed Blankenship on a three-year deal.

That lessens the need to bring back a guy like Myles Bryant on another contract— a starter for three games in the Texans' secondary last season— but bringing back his veteran presence and further depth for the defense as a whole wouldn't be the worst investment to make from the Houston front office.

Bryant was actually a practice squad elevation from the start of last season who wound up being active in 11 games, collecting 40 total tackles throughout the year; a large bump from his first year in Houston back in 2024.

Considering Bryant has built up further confidence and familiarity with the Texans staff through that two-year period, another short-term deal could still be in play if no other team swoops in to pick him up on the open market.

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