Texans' Week 9 Inactives vs. Chargers Feature One Key Surprise

Here's who's in and who's out for the Houston Texans and LA Chargers for Week 9.

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) looks to throw downfield against the Houston Texans during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Houston Texans and LA Chargers sit right around the corner from their Week 9 matchup at SoFi Stadium.

And in the leadup to Sunday's action, we now have a clear picture of which players will be out on each side, as both teams have officially released their inactives list ahead of kickoff.

Let's break down what we learned from each side:

Houston Texans Inactives

S Reed Blankenship
TE Cade Stover
RB David Montgomery
OG Febechi Nwaiwu
OT Braden Smith
OT Nate Thomas

The Texans will be down a couple of key starters due to injury, while also sitting out a couple of key names on the offensive side of the ball for one reason or another.

As for those dealing with injury, running back David Montgomery (groin) and Reed Blankenship (concussion/hand) had been ruled out for Week 9 earlier in the week after each being unable to practice throughout the entire week.

Both have been out with their respective injuries dating back to before the bye week, but even after an extra few days of rest, those two will have to wait before getting back on the field for a game. Their next opportunity to return to the lineup comes in Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns.

Outside of the Texans' injuries, a couple of other inactives stuck out as a bit more noteworthy: veteran offensive tackle Braden Smith was deemed a healthy scratch, as Blake Fisher is expected to take the duties as Houston's backup swing tackle to Aireontae Ersery and Trent Brown.

That means Fisher will be deemed the Texans' primary jumbo tackle to enter the game for those six-offensive-linemen sets. However, it remains to be seen just how much Houston implements that personnel into their game plan coming out of the bye.

The biggest surprise of the Texans' inactives list, though? Second-round rookie tight end Marlin Klein is not seen as a healthy scratch this week, meaning that he'll get his first chance to hit the field for the first time since Week 3.

Jul 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Marlin Klein (83) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Klein has only played three games on the Texans' season so far, recording one reception for 16 yards. This Sunday, Houston's third pick of their most recent draft will finally get a chance to add to those numbers.

Cade Stover will be the fifth tight end on the roster to be deemed inactive for the week, leaving Klein to join next to Dalton Schultz, Foster Moreau, and Brevin Jordan at the position on the depth chart.

To round out the Texans' inactives, fourth-round rookie Febechi Nwaiwu still awaits his NFL debut and will be inactive for another week, while Nate Thomas has still yet to make his debut as a part of the Texans' roster and will also be deemed a healthy scratch for Week 9.

LA Chargers Inactives

S Kendall Williamson
DB Deane Leonard
G Kayode Awosika
WR Theo Wease
WR Brenen Thompson

The Chargers won't be facing any surprise absences on their inactives list. All of their top starters will be healthy and ready to play, hoping to claim their first victory on the season after a brutal 0-7 start.

The Texans and Chargers will kickoff at 3:05 p.m. CT, where Houston will be eager to get back on track with a win after their prior overtime loss to the New York Giants.

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