Life for DeMeco Ryans won't be easy on Sunday as he tries to build the Houston Texans' active roster in 2026.
It wasn't easy for Texans Wire, either, in building the final 53-man roster projection following a preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers on Friday evening.
Some players struggled mightily, but because of the position, they get to stick around. Other players impressed, but given the depth of the team, it was hard to justify a roster spot.
In the end, we landed on a group of 53 players we feel good about, but it forced us to make a handful of difficult decisions.
Here are the five most difficult cuts we made in the process of making our prediction:
TE Brevin Jordan
Jordan has been a fan favorite and a beloved figure with the Texans since being drafted out
of Miami in 2021. General manager Nick Caserio praised him so much that he signed him to two one-year deals after season-ending injuries.
But this is the third time a lower-body injury has sidelined Jordan at critical moments. He hasn't played in two years and given the depth at the position, being inactive actually hurt his chances of making the squad.
The best ability is availability, something that hasn't been a luxury for Jordan since 2023.
LB Jake Hansen
Since the days of Lovie Smith, Hansen has fought to keep a role on the team. He's been perhaps the most consistent roster bubble player to make the squad each season, largely because of his impact on special teams.
But Hansen was taken off the field back in the first week of training camp and hasn't recovered. And the problem with that is other linebackers, including special teams standouts Jamal Hill and Jake Hummel, has been impressive and made strides.
Sometimes the depth of a position can be a curse for those fighting to come back. With the success of Hummel, Hill, Wade Woodaz and Adien Fisher, the Texans don't need four linebackers who only play special teams. Three have practiced. One hasn't.
RB Jawhar Jordan
Much like the other two, Jordan hasn't practiced in over two weeks. The running back position is weak behind starter David Montgomery and backup Woody Marks, but Noah Whittington has at least taken reps and been a part of the rotation. British Brooks is a special teams favorite outside of the return game and Houston has options to field punts and kicks.
Houston could be looking to add a player who's been waived, so just because Brooks and Whittington were on the active roster doesn't mean they're destined to stick around past Monday. It was sad to leave him off since Jordan flashed late last year as a thrid option.
CB Collin Wright
Before the Los Angeles Chargers' game, Wright had a case to be the top rookie not named Keylan Rutledge, regardless of draft position. Every day it felt like he was making another play in coverage, breaking up passes and nearly picking off C.J. Stroud. Then, the injury bug came and so went Wright's chances of being a lock to make the active roster.
The Stanford rookie hasn’t participated in several weeks, but now has to be placed on waivers. Given the injury, he should clear, so Houston could stash him on the practice squad, wait for his recovery and then activate him three times before making a call.
But this was the hardest cut because it felt like of all the undrafted rookies, Wright was the right pick to keep.
WR Sterling Shepard
There might not be much left in the tank, but we had excitement for Shepard to join Houston after the preseason loss to Las Vegas. In a small role with the Buccaneers, the former Giants star was productive, hauling in nearly 400 yards on 31 catches as the the fourth option in the passing game.
But if the Texans are only keeping six receivers, Jared Wayne did everything to stick around. And he's only making the cut because we project Tank Dell to begin the season on the injured reserve. If Shepard had been signed at the start of training camp, there's a good chance that he would have made a case to stick around.
In his lone preseason appearance, Shepard had two catches for seven yards on 10 routes. He was overthrown twice, so it didn't help the case, but at this point in the process, without a stellar outing it's hard to stick around.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans roster predictions: Top 5 toughest players to cut
