E.J.

Speed

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.

Speed will undergo surgery to repair his injured tissue. Per Wilson, Speed faces “at least a three-month recovery followed by rehab.” He has no exact timetable. The 30-year-old linebacker suffered the partial tears while lifting weights at the Texans’ offseason workout program. Speed totaled 37 tackles and seven quarterback pressures on defense last year. His 12 special teams tackles ranked second on the team. It’s an unfortunate loss for the team.

$7.5 million is guaranteed. Speed was a sporadic starter last year and continues to be one of the more missed-tackle prone linebackers in the league, but brings special teams value and is extremely fast downhill.

The deal comes with a $1.75 million signing bonus, $1.5 million guaranteed, $1.5 million in playtime incentives, and a $500,000 Pro Bowl escalator. Speed set a career high in tackles in 2024 with 142, including seven tackles for loss and five pass break ups. He’ll bolster an aggressive Texans linebacking corps after spending the first six years of his NFL career with the Colts.

Speed became a priority for the Colts following the departure of fellow linebacker Bobby Okereke, the former of whom should return to a growing role alongside Shaquille Leonard. The 2019 fifth-round pick appeared in all 17 games for the Colts a season ago but played more than 50% of the defensive snaps in just two games.

We do not know much about Speed, who was not invited to the Combine and has not drawn much chatter in the pre-draft process. Speed played linebacker and quarterback in college, but he was presented as a wide receiver. According to legend Gil Brant, Speed impressed the Colts at his Pro Day, running a 4.58 40. He was arrested last September and charged with two counts of organized criminal activity, but the case was dismissed by a grand jury in April.