In a surprising move ahead of roster cutdowns, the Houston Texans have waived wide receiver Lewis Bond
This might be the biggest jaw-dropper since the Texans drafted Bond in the sixth round this past April. And given that Houston cut ties with several receivers, it felt like the young gun, despite being limited with his catches in the preseason, seemed like a lock to make it.
Bond spent all five of his seasons in college with Boston College, where he finished his career with 213 receptions for 2,385 yards and 11 touchdowns. Last year was his best season with 88 receptions for nearly 1,000 yards but only one touchdown. He was one of three offensive players the Texans selected in the draft, with the other two being center Keylan Rutledge in the first
round and tight end Marlin Klein in the second round.
Throughout training camp, Bond separated himself with jaw-dropping plays, winning in crucial situations such as on third down. He also demonstrated a high football IQ and had two touchdowns in the red zone during Houston’s joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Surprise move: #Texans waived Lewis Bond, per a source
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 30, 2026
What ultimately might have led to Bond getting waived was not being able to be utilized on special teams. Especially for players who are drafted later in the NFL Draft, special teams utility is crucial to make the roster.
However, his release was still surprising given how well he performed as a wide receiver. Houston had a crowded receiver room going into training camp between Nico Collins, Kayshon Boutte who they traded for after the season-ending injury to Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Tank Dell who is working his way back from injury.
If he clears the waiver wire, the Texans can sign him to the practice squad if they choose.
However, if another team chooses to pick him up off the waiver wire, Houston could end up regretting letting Bond go after the training camp and preseason he had.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans waive fan favorite rookie WR Lewis Bond ahead of roster cut deadline
