The Texans left Week 4 with another loss, falling to the Cowboys 34-30, and the snap counts told a pretty clear story about how Houston tried to piece things together across the roster.
One of the biggest takeaways came at receiver, where the Texans finally leaned harder on Noel after weeks of calls for him to see more work. Against Dallas, he was much more involved, and he made it count.
Noel finished with 85 yards, the second-most on the team behind Nico Collins, while logging 34 snaps, or 62% of the offense. With the explosive plays he produced, Houston has every reason to keep feeding him.
At linebacker, the Texans had already ruled out Azeez Al-Shaair because of a groin injury, and the expectation was that fourth-round rookie Wade Woodaz would step in as the next man up alongside Jake Hansen. That’s not how it played out.
Practice squad elevation Kenneth Murray handled most of those snaps instead, outside of the eight he missed because of injury. Woodaz didn’t get involved on defense until after that, which could say a lot about how the Texans view the rookie right now.
Houston’s defensive line also had to adjust for the first time without Mario Edwards Jr., who tore his ACL in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts and is done for the season. In his place, Jaden Crumedy took over as the Texans’ DT3 behind Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai. He didn’t make much of an impact, but the team does have some help on the way, with second-round rookie Kayden McDonald set to be elevated from injured reserve ahead of Week 5.
And then there’s Marlin Klein, the second-round rookie tight end who didn’t appear at all in Week 4. That stood out because Houston’s first three games seemed to suggest he was trending toward a bigger role, not a disappearing act. Instead, the Texans barely used the tight end group as a whole and left Klein on the sideline entirely, which raises a fair question about what the plan was when they brought the Michigan tight end in.
In Other News...
C.J. Stroud Sent A Clear Message After Texans Fell To 0-4
The Texans came out of Sundays loss to the Cowboys with the same frustrating record they arrived with, 0-4, but C.J. Stroud again offered the kind of response teams often ask for after a rough start. He threw for more than 340 yards and two touchdowns, yet the bigger message from his postgame remarks was about the details around him, with Stroud stressing that Houston has to execute better and finish plays if it wants to turn close games into wins.
Stroud also made clear he is not backing away from the bigger picture, even with the losses piling up. His tone centered on belief in the group, accountability and the need for continuous improvement, which matters in a locker room that now has to find answers quickly before the season starts slipping further out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Texans 0-4 Start Is Putting One Huge Problem On Blast
The Texans 0-4 start has put a familiar kind of pressure on the season, and the latest home loss to the Cowboys only sharpened the concern. The offense did enough to score 30 points, which should have been enough to keep the game within reach, but Houston could not come up with the late defensive stops needed to close it out.
Coaching decisions and in-game adjustments are now part of the conversation, because the problem is not simply one side of the ball carrying the other. When a team is moving the ball well enough to score but still coming away empty in the win column, the scrutiny naturally turns to how the staff is managing the biggest moments and whether changes are needed to get this group pointed in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Tank Dell Just Gave Texans Fans A Reason To Hope Again
Tank Dell is back on the practice field, at least in a limited sense, after the Texans activated his 21-day practice window from injured reserve. It is the first time he has been able to work with the team since the knee injury he suffered in December 2024, a meaningful checkpoint for a player whose speed and playmaking had become such a big part of Houstons offensive plan.
The next three weeks will determine what comes next, with the Texans needing to decide whether Dell is ready for the 53-man roster, whether another roster move makes more sense, or whether he has to be placed back on season-ending injured reserve. For a team that has spent months waiting for signs of progress, just getting Dell onto the practice field again is a reminder that a comeback is at least in motion. [Read more 🡒]