Texans' Most Disappointing Players at Quarter Mark of the Season

There's no question about it: through the first four weeks of the 2026 NFL season, the Houston Texans have been among one of, if not the most disappointing team across the league due to their gloomy 0-4 start.

From entering this season with sky-high Super Bowl expectations to now being one of four remaining teams in the NFL without a win on their record before Sunday's slate of Week 5 games, things really haven't gone the way the Texans had envisioned through this point in the year.

But when looking deeper into the Texans' early-season woes, who on the roster has disappointed the most of all en route to their 0-4 record? Not everyone in Houston has had an individually poor start to the year, yet for a select few, it's hard to argue against it.

Let's take a look at five players for the Texans on both sides of the ball to determine who's had a similarly poor individual start to the year as Houston has as a collective at 0-4:

RB David Montgomery

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back David Montgomery (32) runs onto the field before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the first game of Montgomery's tenure in a Texans uniform was wildly positive due to his three-touchdown day, the veteran runner hs yet to reach anywhere close to those same highs in the games that have followed.

From Weeks 2 through 4, Montgomery has recorded less than 70 rushing yards on 27 carries, is averaging 2.4 yards per attempt, and has yet to hit the end zone again since his first game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1.

The offensive line hasn't helped his case much at all. Yet, even when factoring in those run-blocking woes, Montgomery himself has not been explosive, efficient, and has gradually seen Woody Marks get more and more involved as the season progresses.

TE Marlin Klein

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Marlin Klein (83) warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In reality, Marlin Klein can't be knocked too harshly for his lack of production through the first quarter of the season. Because the Texans have done him no favors when it comes to getting their second-round pick involved in the offensive game plan early.

Klein has seen less than 25 offensive snaps through the three games he's been active in this season. He's only gotten one reception in those appearances, coming off of a 16-yard catch in Week 1 against the Bills. This weekend, the Texans decided to make Klein a healthy scratch for the first time this year.

It's far from the ideal start any team has in mind for one of their premier day-two picks. If the Texans staff fails to get him more involved soon, this situation will look even uglier than it does right now.

OT Trent Brown

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Trent Brown (77) reacts during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Upon Braden Smith's foot injury suffered during training camp that led him to hit the injured reserve list for the first four weeks of the season, it's been veteran Trent Brown who's claimed his role as starting right tackle for the time being. And it's hard to say things have gone positively for him in that timeframe.

The stats aren't exactly the prettiest: in 184 pass-blocking snaps, Brown has allowed 12 pressures, two sacks, and one hit. More frustratingly, Brown has five penalties to his name in four games as the most experienced starting lineman. And we all know how this offensive line's run-blocking has fared thus far.

This week, Smith returned to practice from his foot injury and could be seeing a return to the Texans' lineup in the very near future. Whenever he is healthy, it'd be far from surprising to see him plug in on the right side over Brown in hopes of some type of improvement.

CB Kamari Lassiter

Oct 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Tyler Goodson (32) reacts in front of Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (3) after making a first down during the first half at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The name on the Texans' defense who's probably seen the highest dose of criticism for his start to the 2026 season has been third-year cornerback Kamari Lassiter; someone who entered this season viewed largely as the best No. 2 corner in the NFL, to now being a primary cause of Houston's defensive lapses in two of their four games on the season.

In Week 1 against the Bills, Lassiter allowed five receptions on seven targets for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Last weekend against the Dallas Cowboys, he had an even worse performance, where he allowed eight catches on 11 targets for 136 yards— most of which came from star wideout CeeDee Lamb.

This Texans' defense can't be nearly as lockdown as it was last season if Lassiter isn't able to carry his weight on the opposite side of Derek Stingley Jr. Four games into the new year, and he simply hasn't met expectations.

S Reed Blankenship

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Bengals halfback Chase Brown (30) stiff arms Houston Texans safety Reed Blankenship (6) during the first quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The past couple of weeks have admittedly been a step forward for Texans veteran safety Reed Blankenship. He went from allowing nearly 150 yards and two touchdowns in Weeks 1 and 2 to a much more stable past couple of performances of allowing a combined 71.

However, when mixing together not only his slow start to the year, but also the maneuvering this secondary has made to try and incorporate his zone-heavy play style into their own scheme, things have gone far from as anticipated for the former Philadelphia Eagles captain, based on what the Texans invested in him this offseason.

So while this secondary shouldn't blame all of their issues on Blankenship and his fit within this defense, he certainly hasn't helped much outside of his interception on Daniel Jones in Week 3. With M.J. Stewart returning from his quad injury this week, it'll be interesting to see how Blankenship's usage may change because of it.

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