One Texans Position Battle Takes Unexpected Turn at Training Camp

The Houston Texans had a handful of interesting position battles to take note of heading into training camp earlier this week.

One of those battles resided in the linebacker room. After EJ Speed had suffered a long-term quad injury earlier in this offseason, the Texans were tasked with finding another name in the room who they could confidently rely on to take his place as their primary backup behind Henry To'oTo'o at weak-side linebacker.

However, the Texans, as of Thursday's practice, saw another injury go down in the room involving veteran Jake Hansen, which tends to add another wrinkle in Houston's process to find that aspired LB3.

How Jake Hansen's Injury Affects Texans' LB Battle

On the second day of Texans training camp, Hansen would go down with what head coach DeMeco Ryans described as a foot injury. He had left the field on a cart and didn't put pressure on his injured leg.

According to KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, the injury isn't expected to be as severe as initially expected, which is good news for Hansen. But the team could also be looking to add another linebacker to the room, considering there's a good possibility he misses time.

Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Jake Hansen (35) looks up during the game against the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Adding another linebacker to the 90-man roster is interesting enough, no doubt. And as to who that might be, we don't know just yet. Houston hasn't even brought in any candidates for a reported workout yet.

But the more important factor of the situation altogether is the fact that Hansen could be out for at least some stretch of time, which opens up this Texans' position battle even further from what it looked like entering training camp.

With all of the talent the Texans had within their depth chart in the linebacker room, it was far from certain as to who would be the one with the inside track to claim Speed's role as the top name behind To'oTo'o.

Hansen was right in that mix, along with other veterans like Marte Mapu and Jamal Hill, as well as incoming rookies Wade Woodaz and Aiden Fisher.

Now, Hansen will have a notable hit to his chances of rising up the ranks if he's expected to miss multiple weeks. We still don't have a clear determination of his timeline for a return, but any time missed around this time of year––especially when factoring in as tight of a position battle like this one––can cause a significant impact to what his eventual role might look like.

That effectively puts a lot more opportunities on the plate of those aforementioned healthy names in the linebacker room. Those extra looks will also come a little earlier than expected, considering the injury to Hansen happened so early into camp.

Bottom Line

So it's an uncertain, but wide-open battle that the Texans have on their already-elite defense. And really, it’s one of the few areas on Houston's defense that can be considered this undetermined entering camp. Most of this unit is the same as it was last season.

And it's far from saying the Texans should panic when it comes to what's in store for their linebacker group. Houston did more than enough work on the position this offseason that helps provide a solid dose of confidence despite two players already suffering potentially long-term injuries before preseason even starts.

Instead, the Texans have just one less name in an already deep position group to compete with in camp.

Maybe the team decides to add another linebacker from free agency in the days and weeks ahead, but even if they don't, there's more than enough to work with that can lead to a pleasant surprise or two being the ones to rise up the depth chart.

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