Texans Cut Two Injured Defenders Weeks Before Training Camp

The Houston Texans are still three weeks away from getting their training camp action off and rolling, but it hasn't stopped them from making a couple of roster moves in the off-months of the NFL calendar.

Per the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander, the Texans have waived both cornerback Ajani Carter and defensive end Xavier Thomas from the reserve/injured list.

The #Texans have waived DB Ajani Carter and DE Xavier Thomas, per the team.
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) July 1, 2026

Both players had been on the injured list dating back to May earlier this offseason. Carter had been with the team since before the 2025 season, and Thomas was an addition via a futures contract earlier in December.

However, it seems like the Texans wanted to cut ties with both in the days that remain ahead of camp.

While both players were on the reserve/injured list, they were still accounted for on Houston's 90-man roster, meaning that the release of both now clears the way for the team to sign a couple of free agents in those spots.

As to how the Texans decide to use those roster vacancies remains to be seen. They could even decide to re-sign either Carter or Thomas before camp, if they felt there was a place for either as potential competition to find a spot on the practice squad.

But to this point, the signs seem to point in the direction of a departure for both.

What the Texans Are Losing in Ajani Carter & Xavier Thomas

Both of Carter and Thomas were bound to face an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster spot heading into camp, but had been a part of the Texans roster at least dating back to January of this year.

In Carter's case, he appeared in two games of the Texans' 2025 season as a UDFA pickup out of Houston, primarily playing a special teams role for those showings, and logging a total of 36 snaps on that end in games against the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills in Weeks 11 and 12.

As for Thomas, he had actually spent the prior two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before joining the Texans’ roster earlier this year. He was a fifth-round selection at the 138th-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Xavier Thomas (54) watches from the sidelines during training camp at State Farm Stadium on Aug 6, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Thomas has played 18 career games in his two years pro, as both a depth piece on the defensive side of the ball and on special teams.

He saw over 200 snaps on defense during his rookie campaign in 2024, but saw a significant decrease in opportunity during his sophomore season, playing in only four games and landing a combined 57 snaps between both defense and special teams.

So in reality, it was bound to take a lot out of either to find a spot on the Texans' 53-man roster this coming season; especially with how talented and deep this group expects to be on the defense, and even more so if both were to be dealing with injury rolling into camp.

Perhaps Thomas could've been worth a look as a depth piece at defensive end, considering the questions that the Texans have faced around who will back up Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. However, the Houston brass has seemingly seen enough out of him to let him find a new opportunity.

Now, the speculation can start to run wild about how the Texans might be able to use those two new roster spots in the weeks ahead of camp. Maybe it could be used on two well-known veterans to patch up any remaining holes around the roster, or some lower-cost, younger options could be in play as well.

Regardless, it's an eye-catching shakeup to have been made to the Texans roster during a time in the offseason calendar where not much activity seems to take place.

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