One Contract on the Texans That Could Age Poorly in 2026

One bet from the Texans' offseason might not pan out quite as well as expected.

ct 26, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Houston Texans executive vice president and general manager Nick Caserio looks on prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Houston Texans have done a fair share of work when it comes to inking several players to new contracts this offseason–– whether it be new extensions on key cornerstones for their roster, or bringing aboard new faces via free agency.

And for the most part, while the Texans have been aggressive in paying out their players, those contracts seem like they'll turn out to be pretty solid deals for both this season and for the years following.

However, of the various deals the Texans signed off on this offseason, there's a chance one of those contracts that might not look as good as some of the rest in due time: that's Braden Smith's two-year, $20 million contract, which was one of Houston's more expensive payouts of free agency.

Could Braden Smith Be the Texans' Biggest Overpay of This Offseason?

To be fair, it could be way too early in the process to pin Smith as a potential overpay. We haven't even gotten to training camp yet.

A lot can change between now and next season that sparks a big shift to Smith's stock on the Texans' roster for 2026, and make this conversation look premature very quickly.

But if you were to pick anyone of the Texans' free agent signings from this offseason as the guy who has a route to being deemed an overpay once next season gets underway, Smith would be one worth serious consideration.

Reason being: he might not be in line to land a starting role on the Texans' offensive line despite being paid starter-level money–– coming in as the 14th-highest paid right tackle in the NFL for 2026, via OverTheCap.

Smith started off the Texans' offseason program a bit behind due to being out of the Texans' team practices in OTAs and minicamp. He's continued to recover from last season's neck injury, which limited him to 13 games with the Indianapolis Colts, and kept an ongoing trend of availability issues going dating back to 2023. 

Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Azeez al-Shaair, left, and offensive tackle Braden Smith, right, arrive for the team’s minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

In that time that Smith was sidelined, it would be Trent Brown, the Texans' starting right tackle for seven games of the 2026 season, as the one claiming those first-team reps––continuously.

That tends to bode well for Brown's stock to make the 53-man roster, if he wasn't already a solid bet to do so anyways.

But if Brown performs well and remains available in training camp, perhaps the Texans could be more inclined to keep him as their starting right tackle from where he lined up in 2025.

He had a 7-0 win-loss record to his name last season when in that same role, and maybe Houston wants to keep that sense of continuity on the right side along with their right guard Ed Ingram.

Let's say Brown does continue to perform well, that'll directly hurt Smith's stock as a starter, making his salary of $10 million a year look pretty rough compared to the money that Brown's getting on his one-year, $7 million contract.

Availability Issues Also Raise a Concern for Smith

That same contract for Smith could also tend to look even more questionable if his availability issues flare up once again this coming season.

Sure, Trent Brown isn't the most durable guy himself. He only played seven games last season due to injury, has dealt with multiple availability issues in the past, and was part of why Houston added to their right tackle position as is.

But if Smith is unable to get and stay on the field as has been the trend for the past three years for various reasons, it tends to look a little bit worse than Brown's short-term signing. And as a result, his two-year deal might not hold up to the test of time as the Texans first expected when bringing him aboard.

As already mentioned, there's a ton of time for his status on the roster (and depth chart) to shift before Week One gets rolling. There's a pretty strong chance he can rise up the ranks to be the Texans' starting right tackle in no time, if he is back on the field in full capacity in training camp as expected.

Though as the landscape currently stands just a little over two monhs out from the regular season, Smith will have some work to do before his contract can look like a strong signing on behalf of the Texans' brass.

Sign up for our free Houston Texans On SI newsletter, and get breaking Texans news delivered to your inbox daily!