ESPN’s latest roster rankings give the Texans a pretty strong vote of confidence.
In a breakdown of all 32 NFL teams based on projected starting lineups, analysts Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder placed Houston ninth overall. That put the Texans ahead of teams like the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The panel also broke down each roster with four labels: biggest strength, biggest weakness, X-factor and non-starter to know. For Houston, the answers paint a clear picture of where this team can win - and where the questions still linger.
The best part of the Texans’ roster, according to Clay, is the edge-rushing group. He called it “a toss-up between edge and cornerback, but the former gets the nod after generating 46-plus sacks for the third season in a row.”
That nod makes sense with Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter leading the way. The two All-Pros are coming off a 2025 season in which they combined for 27 sacks, earned two All-Pro selections and helped Anderson finish runner-up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. It’s a scary duo, and ESPN treated it that way.
The concern, though, lands squarely on the offensive line. Clay didn’t sugarcoat it, calling the unit “perhaps the NFL's shakiest starting five and remains a major concern after finishing last in run block win rate (68.4%) and 30th in pass block win rate (55.5%) last season.”
That skepticism is easy to understand after an offseason in which Houston added at least five new offensive lineman while trading away multiple players, including Tytus Howard and Juice Scruggs. The Texans now have an All-Pro guard in Wyatt Teller, veteran tackle Braden Smith and rookie guard/center Keylan Rutledge, but the real test won’t come until the games start.
Walder’s X-factor pick was the running game, another area that has drawn plenty of attention. Clay noted, “Houston had the second-least efficient ground attack in terms of EPA per play, and the lack of rushing production only made life more difficult for quarterback C.J. Stroud.”
The addition of David Montgomery gives Houston a chance to steady that part of the offense, especially after Joe Mixon was ruled out for the season with a mystery foot injury. If the ground game can climb to a respectable level in 2026, the Texans’ offense has the kind of passing talent to become one of the league’s top scoring groups.
As for the non-starter to know, Schatz pointed to Jaylin Noel. He said Noel is on track for a “larger role” in 2026, particularly if Tank Dell is still working back from the major knee injury that ended his 2025 season.
Schatz also highlighted what makes Noel intriguing: “Noel's 4.38-second 40-yard-dash speed shows that he can be a deep threat, but he is also good at finding holes in zones.”
Noel has been a player worth watching, and if Houston can get more out of him alongside Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins, the Texans could end up with one of the league’s most dangerous vertical passing games.
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What makes it even more intriguing is how little these two quarterbacks have actually seen of each other on the field. Prescott and Stroud have been linked by the rivalry and by the state of Texas, but their first official head-to-head meeting never materialized last year when Prescott was sidelined, leaving one of the leagues most interesting in-state showdowns still waiting for its true first chapter. [Read more 🡒]
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Texans Face A Franchise Defining Contract Question Around C.J. Stroud
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For Nick Caserio, the challenge is not simply rewarding good players, but deciding which ones fit the franchises bigger financial picture and championship timeline. A quarterback deal can reshape everything around him, and the Texans will also have to weigh how much they want to invest at other spots as those next contract decisions come due, making this one of the defining management tests of the coming seasons. [Read more 🡒]