Texans Add New Trio to Practice Squad, Lose Noteworthy DB to Rival

The Houston Texans have made a several roster changes following the events of their Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys— all of which came from their practice squad.

Per KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, the Texans hosted visits for cornerback Jaden Davis and running back Deuce Vaughn on Tuesday, and will be signing both to their practice squad.

Wilson notes that Houston hosted a visit with free agent linebacker Chad Muma, who CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz also signed to the practice squad.

The #Texans are signing linebacker Chad Muma to their practice squad, sources tell @CBSSports.

Former 2022 third-round draft pick with 103 career tackles. pic.twitter.com/xTPVH0uThn
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 6, 2026

In the process of the Texans' three signings, though, they also wound up losing out on one of their practice squad defensive backs, Alijah Huzzie, who has been signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' roster.

It's a lot to take in as it relates to the Texans' practice squad movement. So to break things down a little easier, let's sort through each of Houston's new additions (and their single departure) one by one, and sort through why each move might matter heading into Week 5:

Who the Texans are Bringing Onto the Practice Squad

Deuce Vaughn, RB

Jun 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Deuce Vaughn (42) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Vaughn, a 5-foot-6, 176-pound running back out of Kansas State, was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys

Vaughn has played 16 career games throughout his two years in the league––both of which being with the Cowboys––where he recorded 40 rushing attempts for 110 yards, along with 10 catches for 58 yards.

Why the Texans Signed Him: The Texans' running back depth is pretty shallow right now. Outside of their regular contributors on offense, David Montgomery and Woody Marks, Houston has three backs between their roster and practice squad: Dare Ogunbowale, British Brooks (injured reserve), and Jawhar Jordan.

Adding Vaughn gives Houston another layer of security at the position with someone who hasn't played in an NFL game since 2024, yet has some appealing quickness and ability to work as a runner and pass-catcher that helps his stock.

Jaden Davis, CB

Arizona Cardinals 2024 NFL Draft pick Jaden Davis (seventh round) during a news conference at the Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center on May 14, 2024, in Tempe. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Davis, a 5-foot-10, 182-pound defensive back out of Miami, was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

He's played in three career games with the Cardinals, all of which came in 2025, where he recorded three tackles with a little over 60 total snaps played.

Why the Texans Signed Him: The Texans' cornerback depth saw a couple of changes on Tuesday. For one, they saw Jaylin Smith hit injured reserve with a hamstring injury. But Houston also lost Alijah Huzzie to the Jaguars in a move will discuss a bit more later.

But with that in mind, it felt obvious the Texans were going to add some form of depth within their secondary, and Davis winds up being just that.

Chad Muma, LB

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Chad Muma (48) runs a route during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Muma, a 6-foot-3, 239-pound linebacker out of Wyoming, was selected in the third round by the Jaguars in the 2022 NFL Draft, and has gone on to turn into a five-year NFL veteran playing for Jacksonville, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He's played in 58 career games, recording 103 tackles, three TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and three passes defended. He's also been listed as a starter for seven games.

Why the Texans Signed Him: The Texans have had to shuffle around their linebacker room in recent days because of the groin injury to sideline Azeez Al-Shaair for Week 4 against Dallas. That led to Kenneth Murray being elevated to the 53-man roster as the green-dot signal caller and starting linebacker on the defense, yet he would go down with a concussion at the end of the game.

So Murray might be sidelined for at least one game, and we don't know much about Al-Shaair's availability for Week 5 just yet. Adding a linebacker felt due, and it winds up being Muma.

Why Losing Alijah Huzzie Matters for Houston

Jul 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans cornerback Alijah Huzzie (28) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alijah Huzzie, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound defensive back who's been with Houston dating back to the 2025 season, has been a bit of a fixture on their practice squad as someone who could even be worthy of a 53-man roster spot.

Many projected Huzzie to make the 53-man roster before the start of the season as a depth corner and backup nickel to Jalen Pitre, yet he would wind up falling short of that nod. He wound up on the practice squad, and in short time, he's now on another AFC South team in Jacksonville less than five weeks into the new year.

It matters for the Texans in two ways: one, Houston loses a talented defender in Huzzie; someone who's been in the system for close to a year, and might've been worthy of a 53-man roster spot over one of the five tight ends or six linebackers the team decided to bring onto the roster, yet now heads elsewhere for nothing.

Two, Huzzie's departure comes at a time in which his services could be utilized by the Texans now that Jaylin Smith is going to miss some time. Whether it be as a backup nickel or a contributor on special teams, a role could've easily been there for Huzzie to make his mark on Houston’s roster for Week 5.

That fit for Huzzie, though, now resides in Jacksonville––a team that the Texans will coincidentally be facing up against as soon as Week 6 in London, so expect a bit of a reunion to take place for both sides.

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