Several Texans are positioned to see their production climb in 2026, and the reasons are different for each one. Some are staring at clearer roles.
Others are walking into bigger workloads. A few are simply in line for a better fit than they had a year ago.
That mix makes Houston an interesting team to watch heading into next season, especially if these players turn opportunity into numbers. Here are four names who could be in line for career-best production.
Higgins looks like one of the most important pieces in the Texans’ receiver room. The group is deep, but there isn’t a settled answer yet on who will emerge as the main target after Nico Collins. That leaves Higgins with a real opening to lock down the WR2 job and make it his.
The late-season stretch of his rookie year offered a glimpse of what he can bring. Once the Texans started trusting him as a steady part of the offense, he was seeing about five targets a game, catching roughly three of them and producing around 40 receiving yards per contest. That’s a strong starting point for a big-bodied downfield threat who can also matter near the goal line.
If that finish carries into 2026, Higgins has a chance to take another step and give Houston’s passing game a different gear.
David Montgomery is another player who could benefit from a much better setup. His 2025 season with the Detroit Lions was held down by Jahmyr Gibbs’ rise, and Montgomery ended up with 718 rushing yards on 158 carries. For him, that was the lowest workload and production of his seven-year career.
Houston could give him a very different kind of runway. The Texans are expected to lean harder on the run than they did last season, they’ve upgraded the offensive line, and they invested a decent amount of assets in Montgomery. That points to a bigger role, especially on early downs and in the red zone.
If that happens, Montgomery should be one of the biggest beneficiaries, and Houston’s scoring offense could rise with him.
The edge-rusher picture is still wide open behind Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. Right now, it’s not easy to say who will step into the third spot in the rotation when one of the top two needs a breather.
Dominique Robinson has a chance to grab it. Houston brought in the former Chicago Bears defender as one of its first free-agent additions of the offseason, which says plenty about how the team views him. He brings size off the edge at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, and that kind of frame can matter in a competition that’s still very much up for grabs.
Robinson’s best season numbers are modest - 30 tackles and 1.5 sacks, both from his rookie year - but the path to a bigger year is there. If he lands the third edge role in something like the job Denico Autry handled last season, a sack total near five is in play.
Christian Elliss is another offseason addition who could end up with a much larger role than expected. Houston sent over a late-round pick swap to get him from the New England Patriots before his pending free agency, which made clear the Texans had a specific plan in mind for him.
That plan may have expanded after E.J. Speed suffered a season-ending injury. Houston now needs a rotational linebacker to help fill that spot, and while camp competition will be fierce, Elliss has a real shot to climb the depth chart.
He’s been used mostly on special teams over the last three years, but he showed what he can do in a linebacker role in 2024. That season, he posted 46 tackles, six passes defended, three forced fumbles and an interception. If he can bring that version of himself to Houston, the trade could end up looking like a major win.
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