Texans Sign Undrafted QB to 53-Man Roster Heading Into Week 5

The Houston Texans are making an addition to their quarterback room heading into their Week 5 game against the Tennessee Titans.

And it's actually a signal-caller they had in the building this season already, considering he was on the practice squad for two weeks.

According to the Texans' transaction log, the team is signing quarterback Mark Gronowski to the 53-man roster.

Gronowski was signed to the Texans' practice squad right before Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills last month, which came right after he was waived from the Miami Dolphins' roster, where he initially signed as a UDFA out of Iowa.

He'd spend two weeks with the Texans on the practice squad, was released after the events of Week 2, but in a short amount of time, now finds his way back to Houston in an even bigger capacity from where he left off last month.

What Mark Gronowski Brings to the Table

Ironically, Gronowski’s college career before hitting the NFL as a UDFA rookie this season is a lot of what the Texans could benefit from this year: winning.

Gronowski is the all-time NCAA leader across all levels for total quarterback wins in a career. He won a 58 games between his time at both South Dakota State and Iowa, and has some pretty solid numbers in the process.

Aug 22, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Mark Gronowski (16) warms up before a preseason game against the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gronowski had a college career completion percentage of 63.7% with over 12,000 total yards, 103 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions. He's also gained some noteworthy numbers on the ground, as he has over 500 carries for 2,312 yards and 53 rushing touchdowns.

That dual-threat ability is really what makes Gronowski shine. It was enough for the Texans to give him a spot on the practice squad to start the season, and now just about a month later, he now becomes QB3 on the 53-man roster behind C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills.

Why the Texans May Have Signed Gronowski

The Texans walked into this season with the expectation of having a select three quarterbacks on their roster: that was C.J. Stroud, Davis Mills, and Graham Mertz.

However, it wouldn't take long into the new year for those plans to change within the quarterback room. Graham Mertz suffered a torn ACL in the Texans' first preseason game vs. the LA Chargers, was ruled out for the season, and thus slimmed this quarterback room to two names heading into Week 1.

That two-man setup within a quarterback room that the Texans had for the first four weeks of the season isn't exactly uncommon in the NFL. But having that emergency third quarterback on the roster who can be called up in case of injury is always a nice layer of security to have.

So that's what the Texans are getting here: a third quarterback in Gronowski who will likely be inactive on most gamedays, work behind Stroud and Mills in practice as he had been in Weeks 1 and 2, and likely only get a chance to get on the field if an injury arises to either of the pair ahead of him on the depth chart.

Nonetheless, any player getting the call-up to a 53-man NFL roster is certainly a step in the right direction for their stock moving forward. So Gronowski undoubtedly walks into Week 5 as the biggest winner of anyone in this move.

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