The Texans trimmed their roster from 90 to 53, and that process cleared up a lot heading into Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. It also left Houston with a few new questions that will hang over the team as the season gets going.
At quarterback, the Texans are rolling into the opener with just C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills on the roster.
Brett Rypien was in the mix as QB3 for Houston’s second and third preseason games, but he was cut in the move to 53. For now, that signals confidence in the current room, even if the position could still change down the line.
Veterans such as Bailey Zappe, Josh Johnson, Nick Mullins, and Jake Browning are among the names available after roster cuts around the league, so Houston could always revisit the spot in the coming days or weeks. Still, the immediate read is that the Texans are comfortable with what they have.
Tight end is another spot worth watching. Houston brought Brevin Jordan back onto the 53-man roster, giving the team five tight ends heading into Week 1.
That’s a much bigger group than the one the Texans carried at this point last year, when only two tight ends were on the roster before facing the LA Rams. The logic makes sense, too: each player at the position brings a different skillset.
Even so, having five on the roster does not guarantee all five will be active against the Bills. Jordan looks like the likeliest candidate to be inactive at the start, largely because he’s been dealing with a leg injury and was not one of the four on the initial 53-man roster.
If he does sit, or if someone else does, there’s still a good chance that player will get on the field at some point this season.
Houston also opened the year with two important offensive pieces on injured reserve: Tank Dell and Braden Smith. That move guarantees a minimum four-game absence for each and keeps them off the 53-man roster until they’re activated from their 21-day practice window.
The minimum is four games, but the timeline could stretch further. If the Texans use the full 21-day window after the four-game mark, that would leave only one game before the Week 8 bye.
In that case, if either player isn’t ready by Week 5, there’s a real chance neither returns until Week 9. That would be a significant blow to the offense if it plays out that way, but it remains a possibility depending on how their recoveries go.
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