- - 2026 NFL offseason preview: Houston Texans need answers on offense to support an elite defense

Dan PizzutaJanuary 19, 2026 at 4:48 AM

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2026 NFL offseason preview: Houston Texans need answers on offense to support an elite defense

The NFL offseason has begun, and Yahoo Sports is previewing the coming months for all 32 teams, from free agency through the draft and more.

AFC East: Bills | Dolphins | Patriots | Jets AFC North: Ravens | Bengals | Browns | Steelers AFC South: Texans | Colts | Jaguars | Titans AFC West: Broncos | Chiefs | Raiders | Chargers NFC East: Cowboys | Giants | Eagles | Commanders NFC North: Bears | Lions | Packers | Vikings NFC South: Falcons | Panthers | Saints | Buccaneers NFC West: Cardinals | Rams | 49ers | Seahawks

Houston Texans

2025 season record: 12-5 (o 9.5 wins), second in AFC South, lost to Patriots in divisional round, fourth in DVOA

Overview

The start of the 2025 season looked like it was going to be more of the same for the Texans. An offensive coordinator change didn’t immediately fix the offensive line issues and the offense sputtered. After an 18-15 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 9, the Texans were 3-5. They didn’t lose a regular season game after that.

Houston’s defense was the biggest reason. It’s a unit full of players who are always in the right place and will play at 110 mph with no brakes. The Texans finished third in defensive EPA per play and second in DVOA. All-Pro seasons from Derek Stingley Jr. and Will Anderson Jr. propelled the defense to a league-low 277 yards allowed per game. The offense also came alive, as much as it could. C.J. Stroud finished 12th in EPA per play among quarterbacks while he cut down on sacks and interceptions. That was until the playoffs, when Stroud threw four interceptions in a divisional-round loss to the Patriots.

The Texans asserted themselves as one of the best teams in the league by the end of the season. By DVOA, they were the top team in the AFC. With a defense that should keep up this level of play and a quarterback who made the most out of less-than-ideal circumstances, Houston should be a franchise that sticks around as a threat in the AFC.

Cap/cuts outlook

Houston has -$6.6 million effective cap space entering the 2026 offseason, which ranks 21st per Over The Cap. The Texans could move on from Joe Mixon ($8 million) and Mario Edwards ($4.4 million) to get into the green to operate during the offseason. Houston could free up another $30 million in cap space by restructuring the deals for Derek Stingley Jr. and Nico Collins. With 46 players on the roster, the Texans could have the financial flexibility to target some more meaningful free agents rather than filling out the roster with depth.

Key pending free agents

DL Sheldon Rankins OL Trent Brown OL Ed Ingram WR Christian Kirk

Most of Houston’s pending free agents were swings the team took in previous runs at free agency and don’t need anymore. Rankins, a 17-game starter who was third on the team in pressures and provided interior disruption, would seem like the best bet to return. Brown came back into the lineup and played right tackle during the stretch when the Houston offense improved, but he turns 32 years old in April and hasn’t played a full season since 2022. Ingram was 29th in blown block rate among right tackles, per Sports Info Solutions.

Positional needs

Offensive line Running Back

The Texans’ offensive line improved during the regular season by not blowing assignments as often as it had during the first half of the season and throughout 2024. Early in the season, Houston’s opponents leaned heavily into stunts and sim pressures to force the offensive line to adjust, but that went away by the end of the season and Houston only ranked 12th in the rate of stunts faced and 22nd in sim pressures faced, according to MatchQuarters.

On top of the offensive line, the Texans could use more juice at the running back spot. Houston was 29th in rushing success rate, 25th in yards before contact per rush, and 27th in stuff rate. Houston was also 27th in the rate of running back carries that went at least 10 yards. So much of that falls on the offensive line. However, on runs with at least one yard before contact, the Texans still ranked 22nd in the rate of runs of 10 or more yards and 26th in success rate.

2026 NFL Draft picks

1st round, pick No. 282nd round (WAS) 2nd round 3rd round (NYG) 4th round (WAS) 4th round 5th round 7th round (SF) 7th round

Good draft fit

Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

Proctor is huge (6-foot-7, 366 pounds) with surprising athleticism to boot. He'll need it to handle the speed of NFL edge rushers, but if he can develop and maintain his good fundamentals, he has a chance to be one of the top tackles in the NFL. The Texans and C.J. Stroud could really use that.

Betting nugget

A terrific defense and an offense that lacked punch led to a lot of unders in the regular season for the Texans. Houston was 10-6-1 to the under, tied for the third-best under mark this season. — Ben Fawkes

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”