Aaron Wilson: To’oTo’o will head to IR

To’oTo’o left in the second half of Week 1’s loss to the Bills but the team never announced a status after he appeared shaken up on the field. It would not be terribly surprising if an IR designation were coming. Jake Hansen played as Houston’s second linebacker if To’oTo’o’s absence.

Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the deal includes another million dollars in incentives. To’oTo’o moved into a starting role after his rookie season and has been a mainstay of Houston’s vaunted defense for the past two years. He totaled 95 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2025. To’oTo’o was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract this season, but the Texans got out ahead of that and now have him locked up for two more years.

Further testing on an earlier reported partially torn quadriceps pushed Speed’s return timeline from three months to the entire regular season. Houston will ask more of Henry To’oTo’o in the final year of his rookie contract, and will perhaps consider signing a veteran stopgap. Speed is under contract for 2027, though there’s no guarantee the Texans will keep him as they can save $2.25 million against the cap by releasing him.

To’oTo’o was the only questionable player here, as he was being managed through concussion protocol. Apparently he did not clear yet. Al-Shaair and Ward were ruled out on Friday. This is the second game in a row the Texans won’t have either of their starting linebackers, and it’s possible that street FA signing Devin White gets run instantly. The other three players are healthy scratches.

The Texans also ruled out Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) and S Jimmie Ward (groin). Expect the Packers to attack the Texans’ centerfield defense as a result. This defense is currently one to target for fantasy purposes.

A former blue-chip recruit who was rated as the 44th overall player from the 2019 prep class, To’o To’o (6’1/227) spent his first two collegiate campaigns at Tennessee. He earned SEC All-Freshman Team recognition while starting 12 games and recording 72 in his first year on campus, and finishing fourth in the SEC with 10.0 TFL as a sophomore before shipping off to chase national titles at Alabama. He started every game for the next two years while accruing 205 tackles, 15.5 TFL, and 6.5 sacks while twice receiving All-SEC honors. To’o To’o’s 6.74 RAS shows decent athleticism, with his 97th percentile 1.55s 10-yard split being his most projectable test result in addition to middling jumps and agility drills. He’s a dependable, well-schooled field general who takes good angles, is adept at separating from blockers, and converts tackle opportunities. However, the Bama standout can be too easily overpowered by downblocks, isn’t a blitz threat, and is a step behind in coverage due to stiff hips. While To’o To’o has a lot of the intangibles you look for in a middle linebacker, he is more workmanlike than dynamic and should be able to provide credible production at MLB for a mid-round investment.

This is great news for the Alabama defense as To’o To’o (6'2"/235) is arguably their best on the front seven. His accolades speak for themselves as he was a Freshman All-American at Tennessee and was a second-team All-SEC this season. He led the Crimson TIde in tackles (112) along with eight tackles for a loss and four sacks.

To’o To’o, who transferred this offseason from Tennessee, was forced out of the game in the third quarter following a big collision with Miami RB Donald Chaney Jr. To’o, holding his elbow after the play, looked to be in a lot of pain and was forced to the medical tent. He emerged some time later with a brace on his elbow. To’o To’o, who calls plays for the Alabama defense, was a crucial component in holding the Miami offense to just 13 points in the blowout win. It’s great news for Alabama that the injury is much more mild than it looked initially.

It’s not often that Alabama could steal a player from Tennessee and actually make their team better, but here they are. To’o To’o started both seasons at Tennessee, even earning Freshman All-American honors in 2019. To’o To’o (6'2/225), a former four-star recruit back in 2019, earned 148 tackles, four passes defended, and 1.5 sacks in his time with the Vols. Seeing as Alabama is losing Dylan Moses to the NFL, there’s a window for To’o To’o to start for Nick Saban’s defense right away.

To’oto’o (6'2/225) is arguably the best transfer in this offseason cycle, and he has yet to make his college choice. Less than two weeks after 247Sports predicted that the senior linebacker will pick Alabama, Rivals analysts Farrell and Gorney did the same. “I was told by a source close to To’o To’o that it was “supposed to be Alabama” for the former Tennessee linebacker and that’s big news,” Gorney wrote. “He can fly around the field and it’s just another turn of the knife for Tennessee since To’o To’o should stay in the conference.” Landing To’oto’o would be a big deal for Alabama, as the reigning national champions lost multiple contributors at linebacker at the end of last season.