The Houston Texans' roster will be facing a handful of big questions rolling into training camp, which officially kicks off later this week as rookies will be entering the building about a week before returning veterans will at the end of the month.
The offensive line, the tight end room, and their third linebacker on the depth chart are among some of the most pressing questions surrounding how this roster will ultimately unfold before Week 1.
But one question about the Texans' roster has gone a bit overlooked as we've crept closer to camp–– and it leans on how this talented, deep safety room will pan out once getting past cutdown day at the end of August.
How Will the Texans' Safety Room Fall Ahead of Week 1?
For the Texans and the back-end of their secondary, they've got a good bit of depth and starting talent to work with all around, which more than anything, is a good problem to have.
Right now, the Texans have seven safeties on their 90-man roster who will either be gunning for a key spot on this defense, or simply to be a part of this 53-man roster altogether: Calen Bullock, Jalen Pitre, Reed Blankenship, Kamari Ramsey, M.J. Stewart, Jaylen Reed, and Kaevon Merriweather.
That's a loaded group that has a great combination of star power and depth. Really, it could be in the conversation as the best safety room in the entire safety room from top to bottom.
However, there are only so many players within that safety room that will be able to make it past cutdown day. Those decisions are difficult to make as is, but for this talent all centralized in one position group, that process becomes even tougher.
Last year, four players from the Texans' safety room made it to Week 1 from their 90-man roster, which is typical for most teams to carry at the start of any given year. But will Houston decide to follow that trend again this season, or expand their group to five or more?
Who Are Locks to Make It on the 53-Man Roster?
There are three easy names to plug into the Texans' 53-man roster from their current safety group. That's Calen Bullock, Jalen Pitre, and Reed Blankenship.
All three fill into that mold of the star-level, starting talents that will be taking a bulk of the weekly snaps at the position and will be key parts in their defense for as long as they're on the field all season.
Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock (2) celebrates scoring a touchdown with safety Jalen Pitre (5) during the second half of the NFL Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on January 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Sure, Pitre can be considered more of a nickel corner who handles more versatile duties outside of being just your typical safety. But from the Texans' official roster listing, he's deemed a safety. So for this exercise, he qualifies.
But once getting beyond those three, the conversation gets a bit less cemented, as does the total of safeties the Texans might want to bring into the season.
Where the Competition Really Lies in the Texans' Safety Room
After moving past the Texans' top three safeties, you're left with four names who have their own respective cases to make it past cutdown day: Kamari Ramsey, M.J. Stewart, Jaylen Reed, and Kaevon Merriweather.
Merriweather might be the biggest longshot of the group because of the lack of investment the Texans have made in him as just a late practice squad elevation at the end of last season. He's only started seven games throughout his three-year NFL career, and has primarily held down a special teams role.
Maybe the Texans really like what Merriweather brings to the table. But with the steep competition around him, it's tough to find a spot for him on anywhere but the practice squad.
Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans safety Kaevon Merriweather arrives for the team’s minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Once getting past Merriweather, the Texans are down to three really solid depth pieces: their fifth-round rookie in Ramsey, a tenured veteran in Stewart, and their second-year talent in Reed, who had limited opportunities in 2025 due to injury, but played extremely well when he was on the field.
Determining how those three shake out may really just depend on how they perform in camp and preseason. If there were to be a determination to make right now, Ramsey and Reed might have a slim edge, though.
That's because of their youth and the upside that they offer, combined with Stewart's ongoing injury issues that left him to be sidelined for half of the 2025 season, as well as being a non-participant at OTAs and minicamp. But the verdict is very far from finalized.
With that in mind, this position battle will be one that's a bit overlooked in training camp, but should remain a subtle focus for Texans fans. As whoever the one or two guys that make it onto the roster beyond those three locked-in stars will have made a clear statement that they're very talented, and could be involved a bit more than we anticipate throughout next season.
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