The Houston Texans’ first unofficial depth chart for Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills already offers a few clues about how this roster is lining up as the regular season gets underway.
The biggest one sits at wide receiver. Houston wasted no time giving newly acquired Kayshon Boutte a prominent spot, listing him among the three starters alongside Nico Collins and Xavier Hutchinson. Jaylin Noel, meanwhile, has slid outside that first trio.
That doesn’t mean Noel is being pushed out of the plan. He should still see more work on offense than he did a year ago. But the placement does suggest Houston has immediate plans for Boutte, and that he could be a featured part of the attack right away in Week 1.
Boutte brings an explosive downfield element and is expected to work mostly on the outside. That gives the Texans a complementary option opposite Collins and leaves room for Noel, along with some Hutchinson, to handle more of the slot duties and their own chances in the passing game.
Tight end is another spot worth watching, and second-round rookie Marlin Klein has made a clear move up the board. After a slower start in the offseason program, he picked up his production in camp and preseason, and now sits as Houston’s third tight end.
Only Dalton Schultz and offseason addition Foster Moreau are ahead of him. Brevin Jordan, who had been dealing with a knee injury through the buildup to the season, has dropped from TE3 to TE5.
Klein’s climb likely comes down to both performance and opportunity. He has been playing better lately, and Jordan’s injury has opened the door.
What comes next is about making the most of whatever snaps he gets. His role may be limited at first, but the expectation is that his workload will grow as the season goes on and he gets more comfortable in the offense.
There’s a less encouraging note on the other second-round rookie from this year’s draft, Kayden McDonald. He comes in as DT5 on the first depth chart, behind Sheldon Rankins, Tommy Togiai, Logan Hall and Mario Edwards Jr.
That doesn’t automatically rule out a meaningful role in the rotation, but it does suggest his transition to Houston’s defense may be taking a little longer than hoped. McDonald is the youngest rookie in the class at 21, and he also came from a different scheme at Ohio State under Matt Patricia.
So while Week 1 may not be the moment he shoots up the depth chart, the Texans still appear to view him as a future piece on defense. His time to make a bigger impact just may not come immediately.
In Other News...
Texans Get Encouraging Week 1 Injury News With One Status Still Looming
The Texans first injury report of the week brought some early good news as they began setting the table for their season opener against the Bills. Linebacker Wade Woodaz and offensive tackle Trent Brown were both full participants despite dealing with minor injuries, while rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald was limited because of an ankle issue.
Jake Hansen and Brevin Jordan also appear to be on track to be available for Week 1, which gives Houston a cleaner opening-week outlook than it might have feared. The one name to watch is McDonald, whose status will be worth following as the week goes on, especially with the Texans trying to get their defensive front ready for a tough early test. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Keep Facing The Same Worry Every Time A Season Starts
DeMeco Ryans is once again dealing with a familiar early-season issue after talking through the Texans sluggish offensive starts in season openers at his recent press conference. Since Ryans took over in 2023, Houston has gone 1-2 in Week 1, and the offense has averaged just 15.7 points in those games, a trend that keeps putting the team behind the eight ball before the season has really settled in.
Part of the concern has been the quality of the opponents Houston has faced, but the bigger problem has been getting the run game to click early and keeping key backs healthy enough to establish any rhythm. Injuries to players like Joe Mixon have only added to the challenge, leaving the Texans with a recurring question they still have to answer every time a new season opens. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Week 1 Lineup Suddenly Hinges On Two Unsettled Spots
While Jacksonville is sorting out its Week 1 offensive line, the Texans have had a quieter but still meaningful roster shift of their own with Kayshon Boutte now in the mix. Houston added the wide receiver after losing Jayden Higgins, and DeMeco Ryans has already singled out how quickly Boutte has fit into the room, a useful sign for a team trying to keep its passing game on schedule as the season opens.
For Houston, the intrigue is less about the move itself than how fast Boutte can turn that fast start in meetings into something tangible on the field. The Texans need depth to show up early, especially with injuries forcing changes around the league and division rivals like Jacksonville and Tennessee also trying to settle their own pieces before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]