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Texans Announce Final Roster Moves To Get To 53

August 26th, 2025 at 11:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans cut some big names on their way down to an initial 53-man roster. Here’s a look at all the moves they made:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/NFI:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on commissioner exempt/reserve/PUP:

The Texans took some flyers on some discarded veterans this offseason and, ultimately, decided to throw a lot of them right back in the pond. We’ve already gone into detail on Brown, Maulet, and Niemann, but it’s a bit shocking to the trade return for John Metchie get released after a little over a week. Houston even attached a fifth-round pick to Metchie to make the deal happen and received Bryant and a sixth-rounder in exchange. Now, all they have from that deal is a sixth-round pick.

Mills, like Brown, saw his 2024 season ruined by injuries, something not uncommon in Mills’ career. The Texans took a good look at him this offseason, but even with Ward’s ongoing issues, Mills will not debut for his fourth NFL team. Meanwhile, Cephus and Arnette continue to struggle on their way back to playing in an NFL game, while on the injury front, Smith joins fellow tight end Brevin Jordan on season-ending injured reserve.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 identifies both the rookie tight end Lachey (seventh round) and the undrafted rookie linebacker Ossai as players that the team will make a priority to bring back on the practice squad.

Texans Sign Six Undrafted Free Agents

May 11th, 2025 at 4:39pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

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 Huzzie, 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.