Texans' Updated Depth Chart for Week 1 After Latest Roster Cuts

The Houston Texans' 53-man roster heading into the 2026 regular season is finally here.

Many roster moves have been made over the past several days to now get this group one step closer to kicking off their 2026 campaign later next weekend.

And after those roster cuts were made to trim down this 90-man group from training camp, the Texans' depth chart is set to look a tad different than it did this time last week when this group was a whole lot more crowded.

Let's break down what this Texans' depth chart could end up looking like to kick off Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills:

Offense

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) and teammates enters the field out of the tunnel before the Texans play the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

QB1: C.J. Stroud

Backup: Davis Mills

The Texans could be looking for a third quarterback to add to their practice squad here in the coming days after they had cut veteran Brett Rypien earlier last week.

But as of now, these two are the only two signal callers on board, with Stroud leading the way in what will be his most pivotal season in the NFL yet.

RB1: David Montgomery

RB2: Woody Marks

Backup: British Brooks

Houston does have a bit more depth in their running back room on their practice squad in the form of Jawhar Jordan and Noah Whittington.

On their immediate 53-man roster, though, only three backs are onboard, with British Brooks being the primary depth options behind the Texans' top two ball carriers.

X WR: Nico Collins

Z WR: Xavier Hutchinson

Slot WR: Jaylin Noel

Backups: Kayshon Boutte, Jared Wayne

Boutte––Houston's newest addition in their wide receiver arsenal––could jump into a bigger role by the end of the regular season.

For Week 1 though, he'll only have been in the building for a couple of weeks. It feels more likely that the Texans will lean on more tenured options in the wide receiver room to lead the way in snaps to kick things off.

TE1: Dalton Schultz

TE2: Marlin Klein

Backups: Foster Moreau, Cade Stover, Brevin Jordan

Once Brevin Jordan was called up to the 53-man roster earlier this week, the Texans's tight ends total would be raised to an impressive five names start the season.

All of them won't be active on game day, but multiple options with varying skillsets give Houston more versatility, and certainly more depth at the position than they had this time last year.

LT: Aireontae Ersery

LG: Keylan Rutledge

C: Evan Brown

RG: Ed Ingram

RT: Trent Brown

Backups: Blake Fisher, Wyatt Teller, Jake Andrews, Febechi Nwaiwu, Nate Thomas

After Nick Caserio's comments from earlier this week, this five-man offensive front will be the most likely starting group for the Texans to kick the year off with.

Perhaps Braden Smith could slide in at right tackle once he recovers from his most recent foot injury, yet now that he's on IR, he'll be out for at least four weeks.

Defense and Special Teams

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; From left to right, Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) linebacker Jamal Hill (56) cornerback Kamari Lassiter (3) and safety Jalen Pitre (5) celebrate linebacker Wade Woodaz (30) (not pictured) interception that he returned for a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DEs: Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter

Backups: Jadeveon Clowney, Logan Hall, Dominique Robinson, Sabastian Harsh

After the Texans brought in Jadeveon Clowney on a one-year deal, this Texans defensive line might've become the most talented and the deepest it's been since DeMeco Ryans arrived back in 2023.

Dominique Robinson, a surprise cut from Sunday, will also be back onboard now that he was re-signed alongside Brevin Jordan earlier this week.

DTs: Sheldon Rankins, Tommy Togiai

Backups: Kayden McDonald, Mario Edwards Jr.

There's a chance that the Texans' second-round pick from this year's draft, McDonald, could rise up the ranks as a starter by the time next season ends.

But based on his high snap count in the preseason, combined with the fact that Togiai was one of the many defensive starters who rested every snap of that three-game sample size, it's a good hint that he has the upper hand on the depth chart for Week 1.

LB1: Azeez Al-Shaair

LB2: Henry To'oTo'o

LB3: Wade Woodaz

Backups: Jake Hansen. Jake Hummel, Aiden Fisher

Wade Woodaz did injure his hand in preseason, which sidelined him for the final game against the Carolina Panthers.

Though, after he has missed some time, it does seem like there is optimism for Woodaz to play Week 1 against the Bills. If he does, he'll be the easy favorite to fill that LB3 role behind Houston's top starters after E.J. Speed's season-ending quad injury.

CBs: Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter

NB: Jalen Pitre

Backups: Jaylin Smith, Tremon Smith, Collin Wright

This is one of the more talented groups the Texans have around the roster from top to bottom. They have a top duo at cornerback with All-Pro Derek Stingley and Pro Bowler Kamari Lassiter, a top nickel in Jalen Pitre, and a strong layer of depth behind them.

SS: Reed Blankenship

FS: Calen Bullock

Backup: Kamari Ramsey

Houston cutting ties with Jaylen Reed and Alijah Huzzie means that rookie safety Kamari Ramsey feels like the most likely candidate to be the Texans' top backup at safety, but also a primary option they look towards as a backup nickel.

He played both positions throughout his time at USC, and has made the most of his opportunities in Houston thus far.

K: Ka'imi Fairbairn

P: Kai Kroeger

LS: Austin Brinkman

Kai Kroeger won out in the duel to be the Texans' starting punter early in training camp. He'll be slotting next to a couple of more tenured options on this special teams unit with long snapper Austin Brinkman, and Houston's longest tenured player on the roster in kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn.

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