HEADLINES

Houston Texans News & Rumors

Texans Collect No. 97 From Vikings

April 25th, 2025 at 10:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

A flurry of trades is closing out Day 2 of the draft. The Texans are adding No. 97 from the Vikings, who are sliding down five spots.

Minnesota will move into tonight’s final slot (No. 102) and add No. 142 as well. In addition to 97, Houston will add No. 187. The Texans chose USC cornerback Jaylin Smith at 97.

Smith spent his entire four-year career with the Trojans, starting 32 of 43 games. His most productive campaign came in 2024, when he posted four pass deflections and a pair of interceptions. Those figures helped him earn third-team All-Big Ten honors.

Given Smith’s size (5-11, 187 pounds), it would come as no surprise if he were to operate in the slot at the NFL level. Especially given Houston’s CB setup, competing for defensive time on the inside should be expected. Smith could, at a minimum, look to earn snaps on special teams right away.

The Texans used a second-round pick on Kamari Lassiter last year, and he enjoyed a strong rookie campaign. Derek Stingley Jr., meanwhile, is on the books for years to come thanks to his monster extension signed this offseason. Those two will remain atop the depth chart for perimeter corners in 2025 and beyond. Smith could look to serve as a backup if he sees time on the outside at the NFL level.

Houston ranked sixth against the pass in 2024, and DeMeco Ryans‘ team will be expected to duplicate that success next season. Smith could manage to play a role in that effort depending on his performance in training camp, or he could at least give the team a low-cost option in the secondary for years to come.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Texans Flip No. 89 To Jaguars

April 25th, 2025 at 9:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

While not as notable as the intra-AFC South Christian Kirk trade the Jaguars and Texans combined on, the two AFC South teams are making a third-round swap.

The Jaguars will now hold back-to-back third-round picks, taking No. 89 from the Texans. Jacksonville has No. 88 in its arsenal as well. After selecting cornerback Caleb Ransaw with the first of those picks, the Jags have followed it up with West Virginia offensive lineman Wyatt Milum.

Milum spent his first season with the Mountaineers operating at right tackle, serving as a starter for most of the campaign. After that, he moved to the blindside and remained a full-time starter and a key member of the team’s offense. In 2024, the 6-7, 313-pounder was named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year.

That accolade came in addition to consensus first-team All-American honors, a sign of Milum’s level of play as a senior. Despite his size, a move inside to guard could be in order at the NFL level (something which would, of course, also help explain how he remained on the board this long). Upon arrival in Duval County, he will look to compete for immediate playing time.

The Jaguars have Walker Little and Anton Harrison in place at both tackle spots. They will be counted on to operate as starters in 2025 and beyond, but Milum could look to serve in a swing tackle role. Failing that, he could see time as a first-team option at guard.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Texans Acquire No. 48 From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

April 25th, 2025 at 7:21pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Raiders are trading down for the second time in the second round. After their Dolphins agreement, the Raiders will drop out of their No. 48 spot, sending the pick to the Texans.<a rel=

Moving back up the board after its significant drop on Day 1, Houston will send Las Vegas Nos. 58 and 99 for 48, which they used on Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery.

The Texans badly need help along the offensive line after moving on from Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green, and Shaq Mason this offseason. They were widely expected to use a first-round pick on an O-lineman and even explored trading up in Round 1 to land their preferred blocker. Such a deal never came to fruition, and the Texans instead traded their first-rounder (No. 24 overall) to the Giants in exchange for the 34th and 99th picks, as well as a 2026 third-rounder.

Houston even used the 34th pick on wide receiver Jayden Higgins, but they moved back up to bolster their offensive line with Ersery, a 6-foot-6, 331-pound offensive tackle who profiles as a long-term blindside blocker for C.J. Stroud. The Texans signed Cam Robinson to a one-year deal in March, so he’ll likely start at left tackle in 2025, giving Ersery time to develop his technique and consistency.

Draft Trade Notes: Chargers, Campbell, Loveland, Cowboys, Ravens, Conerly

April 25th, 2025 at 6:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles wound up moving one spot up the first-round order last night. The move ensured the Super Bowl champions were able to select Jihaad Campbell, but that was not the only effort made to trade up the board.

Philadelphia negotiated with the Chargers about acquiring the No. 22 pick, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports. He adds Los Angeles was in conversation with multiple teams while on the clock, but the proposed deal with the Eagles may very well have fallen through due to an “issue” communicating it to the league.

By rule, both teams must contact the NFL separately to report the terms of a trade agreement. Since that did not take place in time, the Bolts retained their pick and drafted North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton. The Eagles still wound up acquiring Campbell – the target of the attempted Chargers trade, per Florio – at No. 31. The Alabama product will look to make an immediate impact at the second level and/or on the edge during his rookie season.

Here are some other draft-related notes from last night’s opening round:

  • Colston Loveland was the first tight end to hear his name called on Thursday night. The Michigan alum went 10th overall to the Bears, a team which received interest for their top selection. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Loveland was the subject of trade calls leading up to Chicago’s pick. Movement on the trade front only took place much later in the round after the Bears committed to staying put. When speaking to the media on Friday, Loveland revealed (via Scott Bair of Marquee Sports) he is halfway through his shoulder rehab; with progress continuing to be made, he will aim to return to full health in time for the start of his rookie campaign.
  • For the third time in the past four years, the Cowboys looked to the offensive line during the first round of the draft. Alabama Guard Tyler Booker went 12th overall, a move which came as no surprise considering where the team’s board stood at the time. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports Booker was the highest-rated player available at that point out of the remaining prospects. Moore adds the Cowboys had 12 prospects with a first-round grade, which helps explain the decision to remain in place instead of trading down.
  • When speaking to the media, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley) opportunities were presented to move down the order. Instead, Baltimore stayed put at No. 27 and took Georgia safety Malaki Starks. DeCosta said the team’s strong Starks evaluation allowed for the potential of a trade-down move to be outweighed by the upside of selecting him.
  •  The Browns and Texans own the top two selections in the second round, and to no surprise both teams are receiving calls. Last night, though, Cleveland and Houston showed interest in acquiring a late Day 1 selection; Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports the target in both cases was Josh Conerly Jr. The Oregon tackle came off the board at No. 29 (Commanders), which put an end to those efforts. Of course, that suggests help along the O-line will be a priority tonight for those teams.

Browns, Texans, Titans All Receiving Trade Interest At Top Of 2nd Round

April 25th, 2025 at 5:21pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Browns, Texans, and Titans, who hold the first three picks in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, have been receiving trade interest for their selections, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Teams trading up are expected to target wide receivers and edge rushers, per Schultz, with both position groups believed to have “tangible drop-offs” on Day 2. However, front offices in Cleveland, Houston, and Tennessee will have to weigh the value of trading back with the risk of missing their primary target.

The Browns are fielding calls for the 33rd pick, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. They also have the 36th pick as a result of their trade with the Jaguars, so they could trade back and still get one or both of their priority second-round targets. Those targets are Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson and LSU TE Mason Taylor, according to Wolfe and Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline. If the Browns trade back, they may want to stay in front of the Jets, who would likely take Taylor at 42, according to Pauline.

The Browns have also done extensive work on Day 2 quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders, Jalen Milroe, and Tyler Shough, per Wolfe, though they may wait until their third-round selections at 67 or 94 to draft one.

The Texans and the Titans may be more concerned about trading back and losing out on their preferred player. Both teams are interested in taking a wide receiver with their second-round pick, per Pauline, with Tennessee potentially eyeing Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins and Missouri’s Luther Burden. Houston was also widely expected to use their first-round pick on an offensive lineman; after trading back with the Giants, they may still use their top 2025 selection to bolster their O-line.

Giants Acquire No. 25, Select QB Jaxson Dart

April 24th, 2025 at 11:22pm CST by Ben Levine

There was some speculation about the Giants jumping back into the first round as they pursued a QB, and the front office has made that a reality. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that the team has acquired pick No. 25 from the Texans. The Giants will use their new pick to select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.

Full trade details:

Giants acquire:

  • 2025 first-round pick (No. 25)

Texans acquire:

  • 2025 second-round pick (No. 34)
  • 2025 third-round pick (No. 99)
  • 2026 third-round pick

With the Titans committed to Cam Ward at No. 1, holding there despite multiple Giants offers (one of which including the team’s 2026 first-round pick), Big Blue pivoted to the draft’s second wave of QBs. The team did extensive homework on some of the draft’s other top passing prospects. That included Dart, but it also included Shedeur Sanders, who was generally considered the second-best player at his position.

There was some speculation that a team could make a move up the draft board to select the Colorado product early in the first round, and there was some belief that the Giants could even ignore the draft’s blue chip prospects and simply use No. 3 on Sanders. Instead, Sanders — after a report the Giants were split on the two-year Colorado starter — ended up falling all the way to No. 25, and the Giants made the move…to select Dart.

It’s a pretty stunning development, but it may not be as much of an indictment on Sanders as it is a vote of confidence for Dart. The Ole Miss product recently came up as a player Brian Daboll liked, and the prospect quickly evolved from a potential Day 2 pick into a potential Day 1 pick throughout the pre-draft process. Daboll-Dart connections had developed for a bit leading up to the draft, and the fourth-year HC may well be staking his job on the SEC prospect — after Dave Gettleman-era draftee Daniel Jones defined the first three years of Daboll and GM Joe Schoen‘s tenure.

Dart had three strong seasons at Ole Miss, but he took it to another level in 2024. The prospect finished the campaign having completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. Dart also continued to show some ability on the ground, compiling 495 rushing yards on 124 carries. Thanks to an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl, Dart separated himself from the likes of Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe…and he apparently did enough to jump Sanders on the draft board.

Dart, 22 in May, will now join a Giants squad that was clearly hunting for a future signal caller. The Giants obviously believe in Dart’s ability considering the investment, but with Daboll and Schoen on the hot seat, leadership may not be inclined to immediately toss the rookie into the starting lineup.

The Jones era came to an end last season, and Tommy DeVito is the only holdover from the former QB grouping. Since free agency started, the team added a pair of notable veterans in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and both of those players will surely sit above their new rookie teammate on the depth chart. Wilson notably only inked a one-year contract with New York, and while Winston’s deal is for two seasons, Dart could have a pathway to a starting gig in 2026. Whether the current regime is around to see it remains to be seen.

Browns, Texans Complete Pre-Draft Trade

April 24th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

While we are still two hours away from a pick becoming official, the Browns and Texans are making a change to their draft hauls. The AFC teams have agreed on a swap involving Day 3 picks.

Cleveland will pick up a fifth-rounder in this draft and a fifth in 2027 in exchange for three later-round choices this year, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Here are the full terms of the swap:

Browns receive:

  • 2025 fifth-round pick (No. 166)
  • 2027 fifth-rounder

Texans receive:

  • 2025 sixth-round pick (No. 179)
  • No. 216
  • No. 255

This trade does not check in on the level of Houston’s pre-draft exchange with Minnesota last year, as that involved a first-round pick going to the Vikings. But the Browns are still capitalizing on their 10-pick arsenal to move up on Day 3. Cleveland’s 2025 selection count will drop from 10 to eight via this trade, and while sixth- and seventh-round picks may not move the needle much, teams are high on this draft’s depth.

The No. 166 choice came from the Bills in last year’s Stefon Diggs trade, while each of the picks the Browns are sending the Texans’ way are their own selections. Houston will see its 2025 selection count jump from seven to nine, providing more opportunities for late-round fliers (or more trades). The Texans now have five picks between Rounds 6 and 7 this year.

Cleveland has been tied to using the No. 2 overall pick as a way to stockpile more draft ammo, with the storyline persisting over the past two days. It still looks more likely than not the Browns end up with Travis Hunter at 2, but the team subtracted some late-round capital for two 5s. GM Andrew Berry has also been connected to using the No. 34 overall pick as a vehicle to trade back into Round 1, giving the Browns a chance to draft Hunter and circle back to a quarterback hours later. A fifth-rounder this year would be an asset to use in that event. It will now be worth monitoring if higher-profile moves are on tap.

OL-Based Trade-Up On Texans’ Radar

April 24th, 2025 at 8:30am CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans enter draft weekend having already reshaped their offensive line. Laremy Tunsil relocated to Washington on Day 1 of free agency, fetching Houston four draft choices — including a 2025 third-rounder — while 2022 first-rounder Kenyon Green is now in Philadelphia.

Laken Tomlinson reunited with DeMeco Ryans, while Cam Robinson joined the team on a higher-end one-year deal. Houston also traded for ex-Minnesota second-round guard Ed Ingram, and GM Nick Caserio will reunite with ex-Patriot tackle Trent Brown in what amounts to a flier at this stage of his career. Although the Texans chose Blake Fisher in the 2024 second round, they are believed to be ready to make another splash move.

Caserio and Co. have made calls about moving up in the first round, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and SI.com’s Albert Breer. The calls are believed to be based around adding a first-round O-linemen, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Moving up from No. 25 does not stand to have the same impact as when Caserio climbed from No. 12 to No. 3 for Will Anderson Jr., but the fifth-year GM has displayed a willingness to move up early.

This draft has featured a host of teams potentially willing to move back into Round 1 for a quarterback, but non-QB-needy teams have not been closely tied to trading up. Teams holding top-10 picks have been more willing to trade down in this draft, but Schultz adds that lot is having a tougher time finding takers.

Ryans’ former boss, John Lynch, confirmed (via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows) most teams are eyeing trade-down moves to capitalize on this draft’s depth — as blue-chip talent is deemed rather scarce this year. The Texans have also explored moving down, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who adds the team is indeed interested in climbing up from 25. The Chiefs have also been linked to climbing for a tackle, with a recent report pointing to the defending AFC champs plotting to move ahead of the Texans for an edge protector.

Robinson, Tomlinson, Brown and Ingram are on expiring contracts, while Tytus Howard‘s through-2026 deal does not include guaranteed money beyond 2025. The Texans missed on Green and have seen injuries play a key role up front during C.J. Stroud‘s tenure. It appears they are certainly interested in seeing if they can further upgrade their QB’s situation — after he failed to build on an Offensive Rookie of the Year season, as WR injuries also piled up — ahead of what could be a final year of rookie-deal status.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/21/25

April 21st, 2025 at 8:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

Among literal free agent additions, LS Zach Triner is the only signing on the list. The veteran brings 84 games of experience to Denver, most of which came during a long stint with the Buccaneers. Triner will likely be competing with Mitchell Fraboni for the team’s long snapper role in 2025. As Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports, Triner inked a non-guaranteed one-year deal worth the league minimum ($1.17MM).

A handful of teams designated players as their International Player Pathway program participants. Each qualifying team receives one roster exemption from the start of their offseason program to final preseason cuts. Today’s commitments include Thomas Yassmin (Australia), Bayron Matos (Dominican Republic), and Laekin Vakalahi (Australia).

Draft Rumors: Hunter, Sanders, Banks

April 20th, 2025 at 8:36pm CST by Ely Allen

With the 2025 NFL Draft just four days out, the Browns are increasingly expected to select Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter with the second overall pick in the first round. Several sources have told FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano that Cleveland will take the multi-positional talent at No. 2 overall, clearing the path for Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter to land with the Giants.

The Hunter-to-Cleveland steam has been building over the last few weeks, especially following comments from general manager Andrew Berry indicating the team’s willingness to play Hunter on both sides of the ball. The reigning Heisman has repeatedly expressed his desire to continue his two-way exploits in the NFL, even saying he would consider sitting out if he’s only permitted to play one position.

It seems, though, that Hunter can avoid that potential outcome in Cleveland, and the closer we get to Thursday, the more likely that outcome is to occur.

Here are a few other draft rumors from around the NFL:

  • Hunter’s teammate, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, has been one of the draft’s most polarizing prospects in the last few months. According to ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, some scouts believe Sanders’ head coach at Colorado and father, NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, is contributing to the wide range of evaluations. Typically, when scouts or position coaches visit a university to either watch tape or conduct a workout with a prospect, they will visit with a staff member, usually a head strength coach or NFL liaison to elicit some frank and honest information about the prospect. Some believe that Deion being the father of Shedeur and the superior of these employees has created a conflict wherein NFL personnel have had difficulty getting an understanding of who Shedeur is because of Deion’s influence.
  • After missing half of his junior year after undergoing hip surgery, Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison did not participate in drills and workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine or the Fighting Irish’s pro day. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, though, Morrison will conduct “a positional workout for teams on Monday” at his former high school in Arizona. Morrison currently grades as a potential Day 2 pick, and his father, former Washington safety Darryl Morrison, is currently the team chaplain for the Cardinals.
  • Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. has been a popular prospect leading up to the first-round of the draft. We noted a visit for Banks two weeks ago with the Falcons, but Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 updated his visit list to include the Panthers, Patriots, Cardinals, Cowboys, Raiders, and 49ers. He adds that the Texans spoke with Banks at his pro day in Austin, as well.

Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.

Load More Posts