We got at least a,little clarity on Tank Dell’s status on roster cutdown day. Credit: Sean Pendergast
As outlined in this space on Monday morning, the Houston Texans announced their initial 53-man roster on Sunday evening, and the 53 men they chose as the first iteration of their roster begged this question — is it possible for the Texans to have assembled both the BEST and the WEIRDEST 53-man roster in team history at the same time?
I’m not sure which adjective, “best” or “weirdest,” supersedes the other or if they’re both equal, but I do know both are applicable. The Texans had six players attend the Pro Bowl last season, and five players named to the NFL Top 100. They had a few more players, mostly on defense, who were viewed as snubs for both accolades. In short, this is an undeniably talented roster, and possibly a generational defense that Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans have assembled.
Now, for the “weird” part. Throughout Sunday afternoon, word trickled out of the team’s decisions on whom to cut. Most of them were highly expected, as they were players who either played tons of snaps in the third preseason game (usually a telltale sign you’re getting cut) or were injured (the best “ability” is “availability,” so they say). But as the clock wound down to 5 p.m. Central Time (the deadline for final rosters), it was quite clear this was going to be a strange 53-man combo, and that more moves are probably coming this week.
Here are the decisions that were the most eyebrow-raising made by Caserio and Ryans, who work collectively to put the roster together throughout the season:
Tank Dell goes to the Injured Reserve-Designated to Return list
This designation has been the leader in the clubhouse for quite some time, when it comes to Dell’s 2026 availability, particularly when he hadn’t been at any of the practices for the last ten days of August. Putting Dell on the IR-DTR list buys him more time to get fully healthy, although it’s fair to wonder, with his injury occurring 21 long months ago, if there is any amount of time to where Dell would return as even a reasonable fraction of what he was in 2023 and parts of 2024. On the IR-DTR list, by rule, Dell must miss at least the first four games of the 2026 season.
The Texans kept 12 offensive linemen. TWELVE!
Most teams typically carry nine or ten offensive linemen on the 53-man roster, so merely SEEING 12 offensive linemen on the initial roster is jarring, particularly because I did not see a dozen NFL caliber offensive linemen in the practices I watched at camp. (NOTE: I was at every practice.) It’s a virtual certainty that the team will pare this group down to nine or ten before Week 1 against Buffalo, so if I had to guess, I think the Texans have an idea as to what the trade value would be for a couple of these guys, and they held onto them to flip them for a draft pick or two. As long as the players they cut in order to keep 12 offensive linemen make it through waivers and/or want back on the Texans’ practice squad, then this is smart business, even if the optics of a 12-man offensive linemen room look weird on cutdown day.
The Texans kept three undrafted free agents, and none of them were Noah Whittington
With most good NFL teams, it’s not uncommon to see an undrafted free agent, maybe two, make the 53-man roster coming out of camp. The Texans actually had THREE undrafted free agent rookies make the team — cornerback Collin Wright (Manvel native!), defensive lineman Sebastian Harsh, and offensive lineman James Hagen. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about this trio is that it doesn’t include running back Noah Whittington, who was making a huge impression throughout camp and in the first two preseason games, before injuring an ankle against the Raiders. If I had to guess, Whittington should clear waivers and be brought back on the practice squad. As for those who made it, Wright hasn’t practiced in a few weeks due to injury, which speaks volumes about the camp he’d been having before suffering his setback, Harsh flashed huge in the final preseason game, dominating the Panthers backup offensive linemen, and Hagen was a bit of a surprise, as he struggled noticeably at times during camp, but has some physical traits that obviously make him worth keeping, in the eyes of Caserio and Ryans.
The “either/or” decision on “wide receiver six” (WR6, in depth chart parlance) was basically “cut ‘em both”
The wide receiver room has been a hot topic of conversation throughout camp. Honestly, with respect to Dell, his availability has been a topic for the entire offseason. However, add in Jayden Higgins’ season-ending ACL tear, and the subsequent trade for Kayshon Boutte, along with the general stellar performance of most everyone vying for a role, and it looked like it would be a perplexing decision to get down to six names. (NOTE: Most NFL teams, especially ones with deep receiver talent, carry six receivers.) Well, Caserio and Ryans decided to make the “Who’s WR6?” debate a moot point, by cutting the room down to five wide receivers. The biggest story here is Jared Wayne making the team after multiple seasons of mostly practice squad play. Wayne has had a really good offseason, and deserves this spot. The hope is that the Texans bring rookie Lewis Bond, who also had a really good camp, back on the practice squad.