The Texans as stated previously have had had likely the NFL’s premier defense over the past few seasons, but the offensive side of things has been their undoing. QB CJ Stroud and offensive coordinator Nick Caley will need to get their act together heading into year 2 with one another, but the personnel that Houston has on the offensive side of the ball will also loom large for the team in 2026. Here I will go into detail assessing the personnel that the Texans have in their skill position grouping heading into the 2026 season.
Starting with the running back unit of the team, Houston has made some refinements to their unit heading into next season. They have added former Bears and Lions standout running back David Montgomery to the mix who presumes the leading halfback role as of now. Montgomery had an up and down four-year tenure with the Bears as Chicago at the time was known for being an offensive tone-deaf team which likely contributed to Montgomery not playing to his potential although looking very good to borderline elite at times. Montgomery has consistently graded as a well above average player in each of his three seasons with the Lions. Montgomery was however the #2 back on the depth chart as Jahmyr Gibbs ahead of him was one of the premier running backs in the league. Montgomery will now have the chance to prove himself as a high level #1 back in the NFL.
2025 4th rounder Woody Marks is second on the depth chart behind Montgomery as of now and had a meager rookie season that he will be in line to build off of heading into next year. 2024 6th rounder Jawhar Jordan did not play as a rookie but looked borderline elite in limited snaps during his first season of play during 2025. Perhaps Jordan could climb the Houston depth chart and maybe even threaten to take the starting job from David Montgomery if he keeps it up and builds off his strong start to his career. British Brooks is last on the Houston running back depth chart as of now but has also shown promise. Brooks graded well above average among players at his position in very limited snaps in 2025 which was his only real action thus far on the NFL level. Just like the offensive line of the team, Houston has good but not special first-string talent but a ton of depth in their running back room.
Continuing with the tight end unit of the team the Texans are in pretty good shape as well. Veteran Dalton Schultz leads the unit and is a very good player when on his A game but can be inconsistent. In four of the past five seasons Schultz has graded in or around the top ten among players at his position in terms of an overall offense grade according to Pro Football Focus while having a down year in between where he ranked below average. That year may certainly be an aberration, but it is certainly something that should be accounted for. Foster Moreau is the primary backup to Schultz as of now and Moreau is one of the best #2 tight ends in the sport. Moreau has a very high ceiling but lacks consistency, playing at a borderline elite level nearly half the time but playing at a below average level the remainder of the time. The Texans also drafted tight end Marlin Klein in the 2nd round of the 2026 draft to bolster the unit, and he has star potential being drafted so highly.
The wide receiver unit is the bright spot for the Texans offensively as Houston has an argument for having the premier wide receiver room in the whole NFL as of now. Nico Collins is amongst the most underrated players in the NFL and is amongst the premier wide receivers in the sport along with Puka Nacua, Jamarr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St Brown, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and AJ Brown. The Texans have multiple young talented players who will vie next season to be Collins’ counterpart in the unit for Houston. 2025 2nd rounder Jayden Higgins was drafted very highly and had a decent rookie season ranking in the middle of the pack among players at his position. Higgins could certainly break out in year 2 given his very high draft selection and his strong rookie campaign. 2023 3rd rounder Tank Dell got off to a very promising start to his career but has struggled with his health. Dell graded as a borderline elite player in 2023 despite being a rookie and graded above average in year 2 as well. Dell missed multiple games in each of his first two seasons in the NFL while also missing the entire 2025 season due to injury as well. Dell could perhaps breakout next season and emerge as a star #2 wide out for the Texans in the DeVonta Smith, Tee Higgins, or Davante Adams mold. Finally, 2025 3rd rounder Jaylin Noel was drafted pretty highly and had a decent rookie season and will also provide the Texans with some depth in their wide receiver unit and/or could be the secondary wide out option to Collins in the unit.
The Texans have a very good set of skill position players as of now that could allow the team to have an elite offense during the 2026 season. The tight end and running back units have good but not great first-string talent but both those units have elite depth. While the wide receiver room for Houston is arguably the best in the sport as of now as they have the elite first-string talent while also having very strong depth. A breakdown of the Houston skill position grouping can be found below.
2026 Houston Notable Wide Receivers
WR1 – Nico Collins – A, one of the premier wide receivers in the NFL
WR2 – Jayden Higgins – C to C+ as rookie, 2025 2nd rounder
WR3 – Tank Dell – B+ so far, still improving as young player who has struggled with health
WR4 – Jaylin Noel – C as rookie, 2025 3rd rounder
2026 Houston Notable Running Backs
HB1 – David Montgomery – B+, could take jump to A range now that he has chance to be #1 back in ideal offensive circumstances
HB2 – Woody Marks – C as rookie, 2025 4th rounder
HB3 – Jawhar Jordan – B+ in very limited NFL snaps in essential rookie season
HB4 – British Brooks – B to B+ in less than a games worth of NFL snaps in essential rookie season
2026 Houston Notable Tight Ends
TE1 – Dalton Schultz – B to B+
TE2 – Foster Moreau – C+ to B-
TE3 – Marlin Klein – 2026 2nd rounder
