Texans Sign Familiar Face to 53-Man Roster After Henry To'oTo'o Injury

The Houston Texans have made a subtle move to their 53-man roster following the recent news surrounding veteran linebacker Henry To'oTo'o and his shoulder injury placing him on injured reserve.

According to KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, the Texans have signed linebacker Jamal Hill from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

#Texans signing linebacker Jamal Hill to 53-man roster, from the practice squad, per a league source. Veteran starter Henry To'oTo'o headed to injured reserve, per a league source, with injured left shoulder to sideline him for roughly two months.
Hill, a converted safety and… pic.twitter.com/KYZty3jj81
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 15, 2026

The Texans felt they needed to add another linebacker to their roster after it was known that To'oTo'o was bound to miss some time. Per Wilson, To'oTo'o is expected to miss around two months.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans hinted that the veteran linebacker would be absent for a few weeks during his Monday press conference after the Texans' Week 1 loss vs. the Buffalo Bills, and has made that official with an IR designation.

So now, considering To'oTo'o is set to be out until at least Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and likely longer, the Texans decided to fill in that hole on their depth chart with someone who's familiar within the building.

What Jamal Hill Brings to the Table

Hill is entering his fourth season pro, having been onboard with the Texans since being selected in day three in 2024 NFL Draft. He's a 6-foot, 227-pound linebacker converted over from safety, and has been a depth piece on Houston's roster for the last two years.

Hill has played a total of 20 games with the Texans since 2024, collecting a total of 10 combined tackles and one forced fumble in those appearances.

He's primarily been a factor on special teams throughout his time in the league, logging over 350 snaps on special teams within the past two seasons. Last year, his usage nearly doubled from 126 regular-season snaps to 239.

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Jamal Hill (56) in action during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hill was also right in the mix to land on the Texans' initial 53-man roster throughout the course of training camp and preseason.

However, with the depth that Houston had at the position, he was instead placed on the practice squad as one of the many cutdown day casualties to await an opportunity to be called back up to the main set of 53.

And after stretching one week deep into the regular season, Hill's now back onboard. Rather than simply being a practice squad elevation, he's now one of the 53 players with a chance to land on the active roster any given week.

What to Make of the Move

There is a chance that, by the time To'oTo'o is healthy and ready to return to the lineup, Hill reverts back to the Texans' practice squad, depending on how he performs.

But in the meantime, he's able to provide another layer of depth within the linebacker position for whatever stretch their starter remains out for.

Expect Hill to primarily reside with special teams duties similarly to how he worked into the Texans' roster in 2025. In the games that he was active for, Hill played in 75% of their special teams snaps.

As for the starting role left up for grabs, that feels more likely to be handed to veteran Jake Hansen, who got seven defensive snaps last week after To'oTo'o went down with his injury, or potentially fourth-round rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz, who looked pretty solid in his limited preseason reps last month.

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