The Texans have spent the first six weeks of the 2026 season pushing and pulling their way through a roster that keeps changing shape. But heading into Week 7 against the New York Giants, the overall vibe in Houston looks a lot better than it did when the team was sitting at 0-4 and the season felt like it was slipping fast.
Back-to-back wins have changed the conversation, and a few players have helped drive that shift. Others haven’t been able to shake their early-season issues, and that’s starting to matter when you look at where they stand on this roster moving forward.
C.J. Stroud has been the clearest bright spot.
Through six games, he’s putting together the best stretch of his NFL career so far, with 285.7 passing yards per game, a 65.3% completion rate, a 9-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and a 100.9 passer rating. The throws have been sharp, the command has been steady, and even without the wins piling up early, Stroud’s play has looked like a major step forward.
Will Anderson has also made a strong case for himself, and the text around the team’s internal MVP race makes it clear he’s in the conversation as the current frontrunner for DPOY. Still, the way Stroud has been playing makes him hard to overlook.
On offense, Woody Marks has started to give Houston something it badly needed in the run game. David Montgomery has missed the past game and a half with the groin injury he suffered in Week 5, and the Texans’ ground attack looked more dangerous against Jacksonville than it has in a while.
Houston finished with 114 rushing yards, its best mark was nearly reached, and Marks was a big reason why. He brought explosiveness to the backfield, and the expectation is that he’ll keep getting chances moving forward, whether Montgomery is available or not.
Jaylin Noel has quietly turned into one of the more interesting names on the roster over the last three weeks. He hasn’t been dealing with massive snap counts, but he’s made the most of the opportunities he’s gotten, piling up 12 catches for 233 yards and a touchdown, with that score coming against the Jaguars in London.
The challenge for him is that Marvin Harrison Jr. and Tank Dell should keep seeing more action in the passing game, which makes it harder to project a massive rise. But if Noel keeps producing like this, Houston is going to have a tough time keeping him off the field.
Calen Bullock finally got his hands on a turnover in Week 6, and that matters for a Texans defense that has needed a jolt in that area. After five weeks without one, he came away with a Trevor Lawrence interception against Jacksonville. Given how bleak Houston’s turnover numbers have been, any sustained ball production from Bullock would be a welcome development.
Not everybody is climbing.
Montgomery’s stock has taken a hit, even with the injury caveat. The run game looked better without him against the Jaguars, and his absence only sharpened the focus on how inefficient he’s been. If his production doesn’t change soon, his workload could shrink in the weeks ahead, and Woody Marks could take over more of this backfield.
Marlin Klein is in a rough spot too. The rookie logged just 22 offensive snaps over the first three weeks and turned that into one catch for 16 yards.
Since Week 4, he’s been a healthy scratch as the staff has pushed for more from him on special teams. For a player drafted as high as Klein was this offseason, that’s a disappointing place to be six weeks in, especially with no clear sign of when he’ll get back on the gameday roster, much less become a factor on offense.
Jake Hansen did his job when the Texans needed him. With Henry To’oTo’o on injured reserve because of a shoulder injury, Hansen filled in alongside Azeez Al-Shaair, and in Week 4 he even lined up next to practice squad elevation Kenneth Murray.
He handled the work well enough. But To’oTo’o is back healthy now, and Azeez Al-Shaair is trending toward playing in Week 7 after a groin scare this past weekend.
That makes Hansen’s path to steady defensive snaps a lot narrower.
Reed Blankenship rounds out the fallers. Houston brought him in to settle things at safety, but that hasn’t happened over the first six weeks.
He’s had trouble adjusting to the Texans’ defensive scheme, has given up multiple big-play chances, and is now in concussion protocol heading into Week 7 against the Giants. If M.J.
Stewart gets the start and steadies things, the discussion could get even more interesting after the bye.
In Other News...
DeMeco Ryans Just Sent A Warning Texans Fans Should Notice
DeMeco Ryans did not let the Texans win over the Jaguars mask what he saw on defense. After the game, the Houston coach made it clear that tackling needs to get better right away, pointing out that his unit was often in the right place but did not finish the play. Too many runners were able to bounce off contact, and that kind of missed opportunity is the sort of detail a coach notices even in a victory.
The timing makes the message more pointed, with the Giants coming next and bringing a physical rushing attack to the matchup. For Houston, that puts the spotlight squarely on fundamentals, because being in position will not be enough if the tackles are not completed. Ryans warning sounded less like postgame frustration and more like an early reminder that the margin for error shrinks fast against a team built to run through arm tackles. [Read more 🡒]
Texans May Already Be Moving On From Wyatt Teller
Wyatt Tellers fit in Houston has not gone the way the Texans likely hoped when they brought him in on a two-year deal. Instead of locking down a starting job, the veteran has mostly settled in as a reserve, leaving the Texans with a rotation question that feels very much unresolved as the NFL trade deadline approaches.
According to ESPNs Dan Graziano, that has put Teller on the radar as a possible trade chip if the right offer comes along. For a Texans team trying to manage its roster efficiently, moving on would not be a shock, but it also would mean acknowledging quickly that this pairing never really found the footing Houston was looking for. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Linked To A Big Backfield Idea For Strouds Offense
With the Texans still looking to maximize the supporting cast around C.J. Stroud, Saquon Barkley has surfaced as a name worth watching in the kind of offseason idea that can change the feel of an offense quickly. The discussion is tied to Philadelphias willingness to even consider moving the veteran back, and Houston is among the teams mentioned as a possible fit because Barkleys all-around ability would give Stroud another dynamic piece to lean on.
The appeal is obvious for a Texans offense that wants more ways to stress defenses and create easier answers in the passing game. Still, the hurdle is just as clear: Barkley is getting close to 30, and that naturally shapes how other teams would value him in any trade conversation. For now, it is a matter of fit and possibility rather than a deal that is close to happening. [Read more 🡒]