Where the Texans Stand 24 Hours Before the NFL Trade Deadline

A look at where the Houston Texans' sit with the NFL trade deadline right around the corner.

Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio (left) talks with special teams coordinator Frank Ross before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Houston Texans are now less than 24 hours away from reaching the NFL trade deadline.

And to this point, how the Texans might approach their plans in the coming hours is still largely undetermined.

Coming off a Week 9 win at 3-5 and looking to continue building momentum for the second half of their season, there's a chance that Houston goes searching around the trade market in hopes that they can improve this roster from its current state.

There's also a world that the Texans decide to stand pat and play things conservatively at the deadline if there isn't a deal on the table that the front office truly covets. Houston has already made a couple of trades over the past few months as is, so maybe this time of year winds up being a bit quieter than expected for the front office.

The ball is in the Texans' court right now. They've got until 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday afternoon to make any and all trades they may be interested in, and potentially put a finishing touch on this roster moving into the next portion of the regular season.

Let's sort through everything that matters surrounding the Texans' trade deadline situation, and what to look out for in the coming hours as teams begin to scramble looking for any final moves.

The Rest of the AFC South Continues to Deal

Oct 18, 2026; London, ENG; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone before the game against the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the Texans have been watching from the sidelines on the trade market since their move to acquire Marvin Harrison Jr., the surrounding AFC South has made no shortage of moves to either double down on their hopes of making a deep postseason run, or in the case of a couple of teams, take a step back and look towards the future.

The Jacksonville Jaguars just added a couple of defensive pieces as of Monday in Jessie Bates III and Davon Godchaux. The Tennessee Titans just shipped out All-Pro Jeffery Simmons as of last week. And the Indianapolis Colts could still be on track for a bit of a fire sale, having already sent out Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner, and maybe Jonathan Taylor in due time.

So will that extra activity around the division influence the Texans to go out and make a move of their own? It's certainly possible knowing how much general manager Nick Caserio likes to make a trade every now and then. And it might not be the worst idea to hit the market for a deal either.

If they were persuaded to pull the trigger on something, it feels far more likely that Houston would hit the market as buyers rather than sellers, having just come off a Week 9 win to sit just two games back from .500.

RB & Safety Remain Potential Targets to Watch

Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio walks on the field before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The last we heard on the Texans' interests at the deadline,SI insider Albert Breer linked Houston to potentially target two positions: running back and safety.

Now, as to how significant in terms of scale the Texans are willing to upgrade each position remains to be seen. Maybe Houston goes out to add a star safety like their division rival Jaguars just did less than 48 hours out from the deadline, but having both positions on the radar does make sense.

The Texans' run game has started to look better over the past few weeks since David Montgomery has been out with a groin injury, but could still use another layer of depth and playmaking for the second half of the season.

Houston's safety unit has also dealt with underperformance and injury issues, with their latest concern centering around Reed Blankenship and his concussion/hand injury. So if the Texans felt they needed to find an upgrade at either spot on their roster, now might be the perfect time to address it.

Don't Expect Jadeveon Clowney to Go Anywhere

Nov 8, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) celebrates a sack with defensive end Logan Hall (96) against the Los Angeles Chargers during the third quarter during the third quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The one name on the Texans' roster who had probably seen themselves in the most trade rumors over the past week was veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who ESPN's Adam Schefter reported had been generating interest from teams leading up to the deadline during Houston's bye week.

But while the interest in Clowney might be there, it doesn't make much sense internally for the Texans to consider moving him.

Clowney fits a need on the Texans' defense, is on a flexible and affordable one-year contract, and comes fresh off potentially his best game of the season against the LA Chargers, where he was one of three players to end the day with two sacks. Simply put, Clowney is here to stay.

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