Texans LB Suffers Injury, Carted Off at Training Camp Practice

The Houston Texans saw one of their veteran linebackers, Jake Hansen, go down with an apparent leg injury on the second day of training camp.

According to ESPN reporter DJ Bien-Aime, Hansen went down on the ground in practice, slammed his hand on the ground in frustration, and couldn't put any weight on his leg. Head coach DeMeco Ryans would later deem the injury as an issue with his foot.

DeMeco Ryans called it a foot injury https://t.co/54LyimlL7X
— DJ Bien-Aime | NASM CPT (@Djbienaime) July 30, 2026

Hansen would eventually be carted off as multiple Texans teammates came to put their hand on him as he left the field.

It's unclear as to what the extent of Hansen's injury might be. But the initial signs, given that he couldn't put weight on the injured leg combined with the need for a cart, don't tend to look too good for the veteran linebacker.

Hansen has been a part of the Texans for the last four years, having entered the mix as an undrafted free agent back in 2022. Since then, he's been a depth piece in Houston's linebacker unit with over 80 career tackles.

Last season in Houston, Hansen put together 19 tackles throughout 15 games on the field, and was primarily a piece of the Texans' special teams unit; having played 77% of special teams snaps for the games he was active.

What a Long-Term Injury to Hansen Would Mean for Texans

If Hansen is forced to be out for a significant stretch of time––which to this point remains unclear–– it wouldn't be the first injury this linebacker unit has suffered leading into the 2026 season.

Earlier this offseason, E.J. Speed, the Texans' primary depth piece behind Henry To'oTo'o, suffered a quad injury himself that eventually would leave him to be placed on the PUP list, with reports expecting him to miss most of, if not, the entire 2026 campaign because of that injury.

That's left the Texans linebacker room wide open to find another off-the-ball linebacker to stand out and take Speed's place.

Hansen, having been in the building for the past four seasons and gaining gradual trust from Houston's coaching staff, remained well within the mix of those that could be in contention to take some of those snaps with a strong training camp, despite being more of a special teams player to this point in his career.

Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Jake Hansen (35) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But of course, a long-term injury of any sort for Hansen would be devastating to his hopes of gaining traction to move up the Texans' depth chart at linebacker.

That makes his status an important one to keep an eye on in the days ahead, as it could have a major impact in terms of what's to come for the competition at this position group.

As to who could step up in place of Hansen, if he is indeed sidelined for some time, would come down to the Texans' first-year duo of Wade Woodaz and Aiden Fisher, as well as Marte Mapu, the former New England Patriots linebacker who was brought into Houston via trade earlier this offseason.

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