The 2026 Houston Texans have a little different look than last season, with an emphasis on their offense. Despite a 12-5 season last year, the team is hoping for more than a divisional loss to end the season. The hope is that they will be hoisting the Lombardi trophy in 2027, with blue, white, and red confetti falling all around them. It starts with the offense, and more importantly, with quarterback CJ Stroud.
The former Ohio State standout is entering year four of his career, and he only has this season and a team option for 2027 left on his rookie deal. His teammate Will Anderson, who was taken one pick after him in the 2023 NFL Draft, received a 3-year extension from the team worth $150 million ($134 million guaranteed), but Houston has been reluctant to give an extension to the player at the sport’s most important position.
Stroud did improve from 2024 to 2025 in every category that matters. His completion percentage went from 63.2 to 64.5, and his passer rating jumped from 87.0 to 92.9. The issue may be that last season ended with him going 20/47 (42.6%) with four interceptions. This followed a playoff win where Stroud fumbled the ball five times. If he’s going to be the face of the franchise past this season, he needs to protect the ball and have an MVP-caliber season.
2026 Houston Texans Additions
The Texans are looking to help their quarterback reach his ceiling as fast as possible. They signed Indianapolis Colts tackle Braden Smith and Cleveland Browns guard Wyatt Teller in free agency. The front five only allowed Stroud to be sacked 23 times last year (24th among quarterbacks in the league), but they wanted to make sure they give him the most protection they can for 2026.
Houston continued to bolster the offensive line in the draft, selecting Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge with the 26th overall pick. He will start right away, and not only will he be giving Stroud time to throw the ball, but he’ll be opening up holes for the team’s biggest addition of the offseason. For Juice Scruggs and a fourth-round pick, the Texans were able to pry running back David Montgomery away from the Detroit Lions.
Montgomery split time with Jahmyr Gibbs last season, but still managed 716 yards rushing on 158 carries (4.5 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns. Now, he gets a chance to be the bell-cow back in a backfield whose leading rushers were Woody Marks (3.6 yards per carry) and Nick Chubb last season. Assuming he gets 250 carries (which is extremely realistic), that would result in 1,125 yards and 13 touchdowns, taking enormous pressure off the passing game.
Nico Collins (71 receptions for 1,117 yards) and Dalton Shultz (82 receptions for 777 yards) both return for 2026, but Houston didn’t do anything in the offseason to build off of those two. They used a second-round pick (59) on tight end Marlin Klein out of Michigan. A bit surprising considering he’s not an elite receiver (24 receptions in 2025) and he struggles in blocking. It’s puzzling that they chose him over a better tight end who was available (Max Klare) and receivers who could help immediately (Malachi Fields, Ja’Kobi Lane).
2026 Houston Texans Defense Is Still Elite
The Texans ranked second in the NFL in points allowed (17.4 ppg), first in yards allowed (277.2 per game), and third in turnovers (29). There’s no reason to assume they will slow down in 2026, with their leader, Anderson, locked up for the foreseeable future. Danielle Hunter (15 sacks), Derek Stingley Jr (15 passes defended, four interceptions), Azeez Al-Shaair (103 tackles), and Jalen Pitre (12 passes defended and four interceptions) also return.
They got an absolute steal in the draft when Kayden McDonald fell to pick 36. A number of outlets had the Ohio State defensive tackle tabbed as a first-round pick, including Yahoo Sports, USA Today, and 247 Sports, all of whom had him going 18th overall. He had 65 tackles last season (nine for a loss) and will get a good number of snaps as a rookie. With Anderson and Hunter drawing the bulk of attention from opponents, McDonald could get close to double-digit sacks as a rookie.
The Colts and Tennessee Titans aren’t expected to do much this season, which means the AFC South will come down to the Texans and Jaguars. Is Stroud the real deal, or is Trevor Lawrence? Fans are about to find out, and those rooting for Houston may be in for a great season.
