Houston

Texans

Noel has been “making waves” in organized team activities and mandatory minicamp and has “all the makings of a second-year breakout,” running as the first-team offense’s primary slot receiver. Koch believes WR Tank Dell (knee) could face a slow ramp-up process and will likely play on the outside most of the time, rather than in the slot. The Texans’ sixth-round rookie WR Lewis Bond is apparently Noel’s only real competition for the slot role, which is to say, he has almost none. If Noel can carry this momentum into training camp, he has a chance to return FLEX value, or more, this season.

Alexander notes that Noel was primarily used in the return game last season, but “figures to be a factor this year as Houston looks for more production from its receivers outside of Nico Collins.” It remains to be seen how big of a factor he can be, though. Alexander believes the Texans are going to increase their two-tight end-set use this season, which shrinks the number of routes available to the wide receiver position. Texans WR Jayden Higgins has had a good offseason, and could be in line for the WR2 role. Should the Texans rotate Noel, Xavier Hutchinson and Tank Dell (knee) behind Collins and Higgins, target volume could be a problem for Noel.

Injuries thinned the Texans’ tight end depth last season. This offseason, the front office signed TE Foster Moreau and drafted TE Marlin Klein, who is currently sidelined by a hamstring injury. Starting TE Dalton Schultz should continue to play a lot of snaps, though he is likely just a high-end TE2. Increasing 12 personnel sets decreases the number of snaps available to the wide receiver position, which could be a problem if the coaching staff decides to employ a rotation at the WR2 spot.

Dell sat out at practice on Tuesday, the first of three mandatory minicamp practices. He participated in non-contact team drills last week, though. Dell’s training camp participation and preseason usage should help us dial in his projections regarding his role for 2026. At this time, he offers a very low floor and his spot on the depth chart is a bit murky.

The “if needed” is a bit of a buzzkill, but it should surprise nobody if Montgomery is a heavy-touch player in Houston’s offense this season after coming over in an offseason trade. Woody Marks is not guaranteed to have a major role if Montgomery can handle third downs as well. Montgomery mostly ceded these roles to Jahmyr Gibbs with the Lions; it is no insult to Marks to note that he is not Gibbs.

Per Wilson, the Texans view him as a versatile receiver and plan to deploy him at multiple spots this year. Per PFF, Higgins ran 79.2 percent of his routes from the perimeter and 20.4 percent from the slot. If Higgins can secure the WR2 role and gain frequent slot usage from 11 personnel, that would go a long way toward reliable fantasy productivity. In addition to improving his fitness, Higgins has focused on the game’s “intellectual” aspect as well this offseason. Wilson adds that Higgins has been a standout among the receivers thus far and has “shown upgraded timing and chemistry” with QB C.J. Stroud. He has a chance to return value as a WR3 or better this season, though there are a lot of potential mouths to feed in Houston with Tank Dell and David Montgomery joining on.

Per NBC Sports Houston’s Aaron Wilson, the rookie wide receiver has now cleared waivers and is a free agent. Walthall struggled to produce in his three seasons at Hawaii before breaking out after transferring to Incarnate Word in 2024. He fared well at the NFL Scouting Combine and could get a chance to make a final roster elsewhere.

Klein’s hamstring injury is not expected to be a long-term issue. The athletic second-round rookie caught 37 passes for 351 yards and one touchdown over his final two college seasons. The Texans have a decent group of backup tight ends, though many of the veterans have fairly extensive injury histories. Klein may have a chance to earn the TE2 role this season.

Although these are non-contract drills, this is still great to see. As of late May, Dell was still working off to the side of practice with trainers. The Texans will go on a short break after today, before returning for mandatory minicamp, which is scheduled for June 9-11. Hopefully, Dell either maintains or increases his participation next week.

The deal is worth $19.276 million and includes a $10.479 million signing bonus. Rutledge was viewed as an athletic, interior mauler in the pre-draft process. NBC Sports Houston’s Aaron Wilson describes Rutledge as “a quick study,” and adds that the Texans are excited about Rutledge’s versatility.