The Texans have signed six undrafted free agents, bringing their rookie class to 15 players. Here are Houston’s UDFA signings:
- Austin Brinkman, LS (West Virginia)
- Eli Cox, C (Kentucky)
- Alijah Huzzle, CB (North Carolina)
- Daniel Jackson, WR (Minnesota)
- K.C. Ossai, LB (Louisiana)
- Junior Tafuna, DT (Utah)
The Texans let longtime long snapper Jon Weeks walk in free agency, so Brinkman will compete with reserve/futures signing Tucker Addington for the LS roster spot this summer. His three-year contract includes $110k in guaranteed money, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Cox was a four-year starter along Kentucky’s offensive line with experience at center (35 starts) and right guard (12 starts). He showed off excellent athleticism at the Combine, but lacks ideal length and power for the NFL. His movement skills and football I.Q. could make him a solid fit in the zone-based scheme of new Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Cox will receive $250K in total guarantees on his first NFL contract, according to Wilson.
Huzzle was an early riser at the East-West Shrine Bowl, but tore his ACL during team practice, sidelining him for the rest of the pre-draft process and likely his rookie year. That tanked his draft stock, but Huzzle still has potential as a playmaker in the secondary and on special teams. He recorded 12 interceptions and 42 passes defended across 30 games at East Tennessee State before transferring to North Carolina, where he posted 18 passes defended and four picks in the last two years. Huzzle’s size (5-foot-10, 30-inch arms) will likely keep him in the slot in the NFL, though he has experience on the outside as well. He also brings upside as a punt returner.
Ossai is the younger brother of Bengals edge rusher Joseph Ossai. His contract with the Texans includes $175k in guarantees ($15K signing bonus and $160k guaranteed salary), per Wilson.
Tafuna is a 6-foot-4, 308-pound defensive tackle who received some early praise from Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans at rookie minicamp (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson). He wasn’t especially productive at Utah, recording only 15 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 45 career games (45 starts), but still earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors in 2022 and 2023 with an All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2024. Tafuna is a strong, agile defensive lineman who can eat blocks in the trenches, even if he doesn’t post eye-popping statistics. He received $200k in total guarantees from the Texans, according to Wilson.
The Texans must be very confident that they can make a SB run to add just 6 UDFAs. Is their positional depth really that strong? Personally I’d rather error on signing too many UDFAs that too few.
Only 90 players allowed on a roster. They already had 84 players so they could only sign 6 UDFAs without cutting anyone. They decided to sign a bunch of veteran players this offseason than focus on undrafted guys.
An 18 game schedule is on the horizon so the league needs to expand that roster limit so coaches can be prepared for the transition.