How good of an offseason did the Houston Texans have this spring?
After moving off of Tytus Howard and Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon, the Texans were aggressive in upgrading those two positional groups. They traded a Day 3 pick to the Detroit Lions for David Montgomery and signed veteran linemen Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith. Just for good measure, Houston used its first-round pick on Georgia Tech interior lineman Keylan Ruteldge and shored up the defensive line with Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald on Day 2.
Add that with several key defensive extensions and Houston should be good to roll into 2026. So, what’s the grade?
NFL.com’s Matt Okada gave out simple letter grades for all 32 teams. When looking at the Texans, he gave them a gave them a passable, but perhaps underwhelming B.
“The Texans thrived almost entirely on the merits of their defense in 2025, so it was promising to see them retain key core players this offseason, extending DE Will Anderson Jr., LB Azeez Al-Shaair and DE Danielle Hunter,” Okada wrote. “Swapping out Mixon, who didn’t play last year due to a foot injury, for Montgomery was a boon, and they sufficiently replaced most of the other departed players.”
So, why the lower-than-expected grade? Okada brought up the draft and potential reaches. In Round 2, Houston used a top-60 selection on project tight end Marlin Klein out of Michigan. The Texans also gave up several draft picks to move up just two spots for both Rutledge and McDonald, who could have been in play without having to make the jump.
It also didn’t help that while the Texans upgraded the offensive line, they did so with players known for being banged up. Teller and Smith, while solid linemen, have dealt with injuries over the past four years, with the latter not playing a full season since 2021.
The draft, however, was less than exciting for Houston, with the first two days bringing OL Keylan Rutledge, DT Kayden McDonald and TE Marlin Klein into the fold. The team’s free agency approach felt fine but not flashy. If O-line additions Rutledge, Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith all start and play well for the Texans, this could end up being an even better offseason than it appears at first glance. For now, given the uncertainty on that (crucial) front, it earns a middling grade.
At the end of the day, the Texans added some depth pieces and their offensive line on paper is improved without question. The draft picks are great and won’t need to be Day 1 contributors, but in retrospect, where did the Texans improve?
Better yet, outside of C.J. Stroud’s poor postseason play, where did the Texans need to truly improve?
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: NFL offseason grades: Did the Texans receive an underwhelming look?
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cole Thompson, Texans Wire | USA TODAY Network
