The Houston Texans are suddenly getting the kind of attention that usually gets swallowed up by the Dallas Cowboys in Texas, and this offseason the noise is sticking with them.
ESPN analyst Ben Solak went a step further than just calling Houston a serious contender. He picked the Texans to win the AFC, and he did it with one important caveat: the path has to stay clear of a possible shift in the AFC West injury picture.
Solak believes Houston can go on a run similar to what the 2025 Seahawks just pulled off. As he put it: "The Texans are absolutely capable of authoring a 2025 Seahawks-esque season, and we know where that ends up.
The loaded AFC makes such a route harder, but the Texans' offense also has a ceiling higher than what the 2025 Seahawks offense reached. If the biggest impediment to a deep run is simply not getting the worst of Stroud we've ever seen ...
I'll make that bet."
That’s the key with Houston: no one is asking C.J. Stroud to play like Patrick Mahomes II or Joe Burrow. The expectation is more in the neighborhood of Russell Wilson or Sam Darnold-level production, and Solak’s confidence is built around the idea that the Texans can still win big even without elite quarterbacking every week.
A huge part of that belief comes down to continuity. Houston kept its coaching staff together and brought back many of its top contributors from the 2025 season, giving the Texans something plenty of contenders never quite manage to hold onto from year to year.
The roster isn’t spotless, and the offensive line remains the clearest question mark. But outside of that, Solak sees a team that is as complete as it reasonably could be.
In Other News...
Texans Finally Signal A Real Fix For C.J. Strouds Biggest Problem
The Texans spent the offseason treating C.J. Strouds protection as a problem that needed more than a patch job, and the front office responded with one of the clearest line overhauls on the roster. Ed Ingram arrived in a trade with the Vikings and then turned enough heads to land a three-year extension, while Houston also brought in Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith in free agency and used the draft to add Keylan Rutledge, Evan Brown and Febechi Nwaiwu.
Ingram has been encouraged by how quickly the group has started to come together under coach Cole Popovich, saying the line feels like a different unit than the one that showed up in the spring. For a Texans offense built around Stroud, the bigger question now is whether all that movement finally translates into the kind of front that can be trusted to keep him upright and give Houston a real run game behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Quietly Made A Pre-Camp Cut That Could Shift Depth Battle
With training camp approaching, the Texans made a quiet roster adjustment that could ripple through the back end of the depth chart. Cornerback Ajani Carter and defensive end Xavier Thomas were both waived from the reserve/injured list, ending offseason stints that had kept them off the field since earlier in the year and opening up room as the team starts sorting out its 90-man roster.
Carter had appeared in two games for Houston during the 2025 season and was mostly a special teams presence, while Thomas arrived after two seasons with the Cardinals. For a team still building out camp competition, those vacant spots matter now because they can be used for fresh additions or for bringing back familiar names as the Texans keep reshaping the bottom of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Why Texans Fans Are Split On The David Montgomery Move
The Texans made a clear push to address a glaring need in their backfield by bringing in David Montgomery, a move aimed at giving their rushing attack more punch alongside Woody Marks. It was the kind of roster fix that can look sensible in the moment, especially with Houston trying to shore up a thin running back room and get more out of the ground game.
Still, not everyone sees the price tag as justified. ESPN analyst Seth Walder was among the critics, pointing to Montgomerys age and the draft capital Houston gave up as reasons to question the deal, and ESPNs offseason grade for the Texans reflected some of that skepticism. For a team trying to balance urgency with long-term roster building, this is the sort of move that can divide a fan base fast. [Read more 🡒]