Houston

Texans

Asked in a mailbag column if the Texans would pursue a veteran back in free agency, Alexander noted that he believes Dare Ogunbowale could return to the Texans, but flatly said Chubb won’t. The 30-year-old vet will try to catch on elsewhere in a short-yardage role in 2026. The Texans could make an offseason move to sign or draft a back to split time with Woody Marks. Or perhaps both.

Liipfert spent nine years serving in various scouting roles with the Patriots (2009-2017) before signing on with the Texans. As the Texans’ assistant general manager, he specifically operates as the director of college scouting.

Johnson received several offensive coordinator interviews following C.J. Stroud’s breakout rookie season. That was all the way back at the end of the 2023 season. Stroud regressed in 2024 and the Texans fired OC Bobby Slowik. Johnson was a candidate to replace him, but the team ultimately chose an outside voice in Nick Caley. With Stroud playing better this year, there is again some interest in Johnson as an OC. Johnson would join a Miami team without any answers at quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa is expected to be released and the team doesn’t have a high enough pick in the draft to land a premier rookie quarterback. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Johnson stick in Houston for another year in search of better opportunities next offseason.

As expected, Dell missed the entirety of the 2025 season after suffering a catastrophic knee injury in the playoffs last year. Dell suffered a torn ACL, which required surgery. He also underwent procedures on his MCL and LCL. The Texans drafted a pair of rookies on Day Two last year, but neither truly broke out in 2025. Even with Nico Collins out for the Divisional Round, Houston leaned on Christian Kirk and Xavier Hutchinson in their final game of the year. Getting Dell back could meaningfully improve the team’s receiver rotation for 2026.

Stover bent his knee backward while trying to reel in an off-target pass during the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to New England. He immediately clutched his knee and did not return after leaving the game. It looked like a catastrophic injury in real time. Fortunately, Caserio said he avoided a serious injury. Stover should be able to get in a normal offseason routine, barring any setbacks. The second-year tight end only appeared in nine games this season. He caught 12 passes for 76 yards. He also took on tush push duties for Houston, running four times for three yards and a pair of first downs in the regular season.

Schultz left the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Patriots in the first quarter and did not return. The good news is that it doesn’t sound like the calf injury will affect his offseason routine much, if at all. Schultz quietly led the Texans with 82 receptions this year. He finished second on the team in yards at 777. Houston has several young receovers fighting to see more work in 2026, but Schultz has proven to be a reliable check-down option for C.J. Stroud over multiple years. He will remain a solid TE2 fantasy option for the upcoming season.

The Texans’ offense didn’t return to its 2023 heights under Caley, but C.J. Stroud did bounce back after a troublesome 2024 season. He averaged 7.2 yards per attempt with a 4.5 percent touchdown rate and a 1.9 percent interception rate. All three of those marks were improvements over his previous season. Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans will give Caley at least one more chance to get Stroud back to his Rookie of the Year form. Then the team will have some big decisions to make on Caley and Stroud, who has one year left on his rookie contract, plus the fifth-year option.

Mixon reportedly underwent some procedures on his foot on his own and did not run it by the team’s medical staff last offseason. There were seemingly complications and he did not suit up for the 2025 season. The team never gave a clear answer as to what was going on with Mixon’s foot. Caserio saying they haven’t seen Mixon in a while might mean they know just as little as we do. Even if Mixon can play in 2026, we don’t expect that to happen in Houston. The Texans can cut him for $8 million in cap savings this offseason. We fully expect them to do so.

Stroud said after the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Patriots that “there are no excuses” for throwing four interceptions on 47 attempts against New England, but that he was still getting comfortable in an offensive scheme installed by first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Stroud in 2025 completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions, improving in most categories after a letdown of a 2024 season following his outstanding 2023 rookie campaign. The Texans will have to make a decision on Stroud’s fifth-year contract option by May 1, and head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the team’s postseason loss that he would not discuss the team’s plans for Stroud, who turns 25 in October.

Dell missed the entire season after tearing his ACL, MCL, and LCL against the Chiefs in Week 16 of the 2024 season. The fact that the head coach is still optimistic is noteworthy, and Dell probably will slot in as Houston’s No. 2 receiver in 2026 assuming he bounces back and is fully recovered from the surgeries. Dell’s return, should it come to pass, will be a development that will make it hard to see Jayden Higgins or Jaylin Noel boosting their fantasy stock in 2026.