The Houston Texans still have 19 days before they’re back at NRG/Reliant Stadium for real football, but that hasn’t stopped the roster speculation from heating up. One mock 53-man projection is leaning hard into surprises, with a few rookies pushing veterans aside and a clear underdog theme running through the offense.
The quarterback room is the easy part. C.J.
Stroud and Davis Mills are the two names locked in, with Stroud still viewed as Houston’s top option and Mills projected to remain one of the league’s better backups. That part of the roster doesn’t invite much debate.
Things get much spicier after that. At running back, the projection has David Montgomery, Woody Marks, Noah Whittington, British Brooks and Cade Stover making the cut.
The notable call there is Whittington, the former Oregon back, beating out incumbent Jawhar Jordan for the RB3 spot. The other eyebrow-raiser is Stover, who is projected to move from depth tight end into a mostly full-time fullback role to help maximize his spot on the roster.
Receiver brings another round of turnover. Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson, Tank Dell, Jaylin Noel and Lewis Bond are the six names on this mock roster, with Hutchinson opening the year as WR3 because of Dell’s injury concerns. Bond, a former Boston College pass catcher, is the surprise pick over veterans such as Justin Watson for the final receiver spot.
At tight end, Dalton Schultz leads the group after a career season and contract extension. Foster Moreau follows as the second option, with Brevin Jordan and Marlin Klein rounding out the room as athletic pass-catching pieces who can give Stroud more help in the passing game.
Up front, the projected starting five has Aireontae Ersery at left tackle and Blake Fisher behind him as the swing tackle. Wyatt Teller is the left guard, with Evan Brown listed as the backup who can handle guard or center.
At center, Keylan Rutledge gets the nod over Jake Andrews, even though there’s an argument for Andrews based on his veteran status in offensive coordinator Nick caley’s offense. The projection still leans on Rutledge, who was drafted at 26th overall, to take over the starting job.
On the right side, Ed Ingram is the starter at right guard after being re-signed, while fourth-round pick Febechi Nwaiwu provides depth and versatility. Right tackle is Braden Smith, with Trent Brown backing him up. Brown is seen here as a dependable depth option, while Smith is expected to be the answer Houston brought in for a reason.
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