NFL 2026 Season Preview - HOUSTON TEXANS

HOUSTON TEXANS                                                                                                 

2025 Record - 12-5-0 

Head Coach - DeMeco Ryans  

2025 Offensive Rank - 327 YPG (18th); Rushing - 109 (22nd), Passing - 218 YPG (14th) SCORING - 23.8 PPG (13th)

2025 Defensive Rank - 277 YPG (1st); Rushing - 94 YPG (4th), Passing - 184 YPG (6th) SCORING - 17.4 PPG (2nd) 

Key Player Additions - David Montgomery (RB), Reed Blankenship (DB), Logan Hall (DL), Evan Brown (OL), Foster Moreau (TE), Braden Smith (OL), Wyatt Teller (OL) 

Key Player Losses - Tytus Howard (OL), Nick Chubb (RB), Derek Barnett (DL), Christian Kirk (WR), Tim Settle, Jr. (DL)

OFFENSE - The Texans have fourth year quarterback C.J. Stroud back for another season and in 2025 he passed for 3,041 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions while missing three games. The backup quarterback is Davis Mills, who had five TD passes (one interception) along with 915 passing yards. The running game will see David Montgomery (716 yards, 4.5 YPC, eight TD) coming over from the Detroit Lions and he will team up with Woody Marks, who had 703 rushing yards (3.6 YPC) and two touchdowns last season. The wide receivers are Nico Collins (71 receptions, 1,117 yards, six TD), Jayden Higgins (41, 525, six TD), Xavier Hutchinson (35, 428, three TD) and perhaps Tank Dell, who is looking to come back from bad knee injuries. The tight end is Dalton Schultz, who led the Texans with 82 receptions last year, good for 777 yards and three touchdowns. 

DEFENSE - With Will Anderson, Jr. (12 QB sacks) and Danielle Hunter (15 sacks) manning the front line, the Texans have solid players and also in the mix is Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai. The linebackers are Henry To'oTo'o (93 tackles) and Azeez Al-Shaair, who led the team with 103 tackles. The secondary features four players who each had four interceptions last season, as cornerbacks Derek Stingley, Jr., Kamari Lassiter (91 tackles) and Jalen Pitre, along with safety Calen Bullock (also four picks) helped the Texans pick off 19 passes a year ago, which was third best in the league. Other impact players in the defensive backfield are Reed Blankenship (free agent from Philadelphia) and Jaylen Reed. 

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK - After making the playoffs for the third straight season, the Texans are looking to advance past the divisional round for the first time in team history in the upcoming 2026 season. The playoffs are definitely the goal for Head Coach DeMeco Ryans as he knows this team has plenty of talent and the potential to do better in January. 

The Texans need quarterback C.J. Stroud to step it up once the post-season happens and to help balance the offense, they brought in running back David Montgomery to help a rushing attack that was 22nd in the NFL last season. The passing game is adequate with good primary wideouts and the Texans were in the middle of the pack in scoring last year, averaging just under 24 points per game. The defense is the strength and as long as the key players are healthy, Houston should thrive again in that area. The Texans can create turnovers and were a plus-17 last year (2nd in NFL) while also getting 47 sacks and leading the league in total defense and they also finished second in scoring defense. 

Again, barring injuries to the mainstay players in 2026, the Texans should be right there in the AFC South race with Jacksonville (who finished first in the division last year) as well as the AFC playoff picture. As long as the offense can keep up with the defense once the playoffs roll around, this team has the potential to go further when it matters most, but that falls on the shoulders of Stroud, who is looking to get back to the play he showed in his rookie season three years ago. This team has to show they are capable of playing up to the level of the hype surrounding them. 

TEAM SCHEDULE 

Week One - vs. Buffalo 

Week Two - vs. Cincinnati 

Week Three - at Indianapolis 

Week Four - vs. Dallas 

Week Five - at Tennessee 

Week Six - vs. Jacksonville (London, England)

Week Seven - vs. N.Y. Giants 

Week Eight - BYE 

Week Nine - at L.A. Chargers 

Week Ten - at Cleveland 

Week Eleven - vs. Indianapolis 

Week Twelve - vs. Baltimore 

Week Thirteen - at Pittsburgh 

Week Fourteen - at Washington 

Week Fifteen - vs. Jacksonville 

Week Sixteen - at Philadelphia 

Week Seventeen - at Green Bay 

Week Eighteen - vs. Tennessee