Dominic Bailey emerged as a dependable, versatile veteran during his six seasons on the Tennessee defensive line, and while it wasn’t enough for him to be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, he is still getting his shot at the next level. Bailey, who started 25 games for the Vols including all 13 games during a career-best season in 2025, was one of 12 undrafted rookies signed by the Houston Texans, the team announced on Friday. The AFC South franchise is holding its rookie minicamp this weekend.
The 6-foot-3, 292-pounder, listed as a defensive tackle, joins a Texans team that had a couple of former Tennessee standouts on its defensive line in 2025 in Derek Barnett and Darrell Taylor, but for now Bailey is the lone VFL in Houston.
Bailey is one of seven Tennessee players to sign with NFL teams after going undrafted.
According to Aaron Wilson of Houston’s KPRC-TV, Bailey’s deal with the Texans includes $150,000 in guaranteed salary plus a $10,000 signing bonus – those figures combined could see Bailey paid better than most of the seventh-round picks.
A former four-star recruit out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Bailey signed with Tennessee in its 2020 recruiting class under Jeremy Pruitt and stayed with the Vols through their coaching transition after his pandemic-impacted freshman season, and ultimately he became a team leader and one of the most trusted players for defensive line coach Rodney Garner.
Bailey totaled 77 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles in 54 career games for the Vols. He was their starting defensive end for the majority of the past two seasons. Bailey shifted inside for snaps at defensive tackle situationally at times and occasionally out of necessity, like early in 2025 when Tennessee was shorthanded at defensive tackle due to injuries to Daevin Hobbs and Jaxson Moi.
As a sixth-year senior, Bailey set career-highs in tackles for loss (7.5) and sacks (5.5), and his 28 quarterback pressures per Pro Football Focus were second-most for the Vols behind only Joshua Josephs (32). He had two sacks against Georgia and one apiece against Mississippi State and Kentucky, adding another TFL against the Wildcats.
Bailey had 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack in the 2024 Alabama game and totaled nine quarterback pressures in his final two encounters with the Crimson Tide.
After playing just one game as a freshman in 2020 and redshirting in 2021, Bailey carved out a role in Garner’s rotation in 2022 (275 defensive snaps) and started twice in 2023 (286). He was second on the defensive line in snaps (416) in 2024 and led the defensive line and ranked fifth on the team in snaps (556) in 2025. He played more than 1,500 snaps in his career.
At Tennessee’s Pro Day, Bailey measured in with a 6-foot-10 wingspan at 6-foot-2 and 301 pounds, clocked a 5.12-second 40 with a 27.5-inch vertical jump and 8-foot, 5-inch broad jump and put up 20 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
Bailey completed his degree in communications in December 2024.
As a recruit, he was the No. 26 defensive tackle in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 219 overall player in the 247Sports Composite for the cycle.