The Texans have agreed to terms with first-round offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge on his four-year rookie contract, Aaron Wilson of KPRC reports.
His signing leaves fourth-round offensive guard Febechi Nwaiwu as the final unsigned draft pick. Second-round defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, second-round tight end Marlin Klein, fourth-round linebacker Wade Woodaz, fifth-round safety Kamari Ramsey, sixth-round wide receiver Lewis Bond and seventh-round Aiden Fisher previously signed.
The Texans traded up two spots to draft Rutledge with the 26th overall pick out of Georgia Tech.
He can play center or guard and has spent the offseason working with the first-team at center.
Rutledge earned first-team All-ACC honors and was a third-team All-American.
The Texans announced a pair of roster moves on Thursday morning.
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They have signed tight end Louis Hansen to their 90-man roster. Wide receiver Jalen Walthall was waived in a corresponding move.
Hansen was undrafted out of the University of Connecticut earlier this year and he tried out for the Texans during their rookie minicamp. Hansen had 46 catches for 463 yards and four touchdowns over three seasons with the Huskies. He also played in three games over two years for Michigan prior to his transfer.
Walthall signed with the Texans in May. He was undrafted after playing at Incarnate Word and Hawaii.
The Texans signed undrafted free agent offensive lineman Derrick Graham on Tuesday, the team announced.
Graham recently worked out for the Texans.
He played for Texans offensive line coach and run game coordinator Cole Popovich at Troy University before transferring to Texas A&M and then following former Troy coach Jon Sumrall to Tulane. Graham is the son of Derrick Graham Sr., who played nine NFL seasons.
The Texans cut offensive guard Sidy Sow on Monday in a corresponding move.
Graham earned first-team all-conference at Tulane.
The outlook for Texans linebacker E.J. Speed’s recovery from a quadriceps injury is a little bleaker than it initially appeared to be.
Word last month was that Speed suffered a partial tear of his quad while lifting weights and that he’d be able to return to the field during the 2026 season. Speed went in for surgery and Aaron Wilson of KPRC reports that a further examination of the injury showed that he actually suffered a full tear.
The injury has been repaired surgically, but Speed is now expected to miss the entire season.
Speed started in nine of his 16 regular season appearances last season and played as a reserve in both of the team’s playoff outings. He had 65 tackles across all 18 games.
Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o are in line to start at linebacker for Houston this fall. Jake Hansen, Marte Mapu, Jake Hummel, and fourth-round pick Wade Woodaz are among the team’s other options.
The Texans parted ways with offensive lineman Sidy Sow on Monday.
They announced that they have waived Sow off of their 90-man roster. They did not add anyone, so they have an open spot to fill on the roster at the moment.
Sow joined the Texans’ practice squad last year and made one start at guard in his two appearances for the team. The 2023 fourth-round pick started 14 games for the Patriots over the course of his first two NFL seasons.
Wyatt Teller, Ed Ingram, Evan Brown, first-round pick Keylan Rutledge, and fourth-round pick Febechi Nwaiwu remain in the mix at guard for the Texans.
