It was a long Sunday afternoon off NRG Drive, but the Houston Texans have their initial 53-man roster for the 2026 NFL season.
Everything needs to be transparent right now since things are expected to change. The word "initial" is key because fans should expect this roster to change in the coming days, with moves being made on the waiver wire after the cuts become official later this evening.
NFL clubs will now make waiver claims, and if the Texans are awarded any players off the waiver wire, they will need to make corresponding moves. That should be expected since Houston only has five wide receivers while it boasts six linebackers and 12 offensive linemen.
The Texans also have some veteran players who could begin the year on the injured reserve
while waiting to recover from injury. And that's if they make it to Week 1 without getting cut.
So, keep in mind that this is subject to change, but here's the initial 53-man rosterafter 40 moves made on the afternoon.
Quarterback (2)
Starter: C.J. Stroud
Reserve: Davis Mills
Running backs (3)
Starter: David Montgomery
Reserves: Woody Marks, British Brooks
Wide receivers (5)
Starters: Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson
Reserves: Kayshon Boutte, Jaylin Noel, Jared Wayne
Tight ends (4)
Starter: Dalton Schultz
Reserves: Foster Moreau, Marlin Klein, Cade Stover
Offensive tackles (5)
Starters: Aireontae Ersery, Trent Brown
Reserves: Blake Fisher, Braden Smith, Nathan Thomas
Guards (5)
Starters: Keylan Rutledge, Ed Ingram
Reserves: Wyatt Teller, Febechi Nwaiwu, Sam Hagen
Center (2)
Starter: Evan Brown
Reserve: Jake Andrews
Defensive end (4)
Starters: Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter
Reserves: Jadeveon Clowney, Sabastian Harsh
Defensive tackles (5)
Starters: Sheldon Rankins, Tommy Togiai
Reserves: Kayden McDonald, Mario Edwards, Logan Hall
Linebackers (6)
Starters: Azeez Al-Shaair, Henry To’oTo’o,
Reserves: Jake Hansen, Wade Woodaz, Aiden Fisher, Jake Hummel
Cornerbacks (5)
Starters: Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter
Reserves: Jaylin Smith, Tremon Smith, Collin Wright
Nickel (1)
Starter: Jalen Pitre
Safety (3)
Starters: Calen Bullock, Reed Blankenship
Reserves: Kamari Ramsey
Special teams (3)
Kicker: Ka’imi Fairbarin
Punter: Kai Kroeger
Long Snapper: Austin Brinkman
Physically unable to perform list (2)
- S M.J. Stewart
- LB E.J. Speed
Reserve/injured list (designated to return) (2)
- WR Tank Dell
- DB Ja'Marcus Ingram
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Houston Texans set initial 53-man roster for 2026 NFL season
