After trading Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders, the Houston Texans have shaken things up in the 2025 NFL free agency window. Although Tunsil is gone, the Texans were able to add playoff experience to their young roster, signing edge rusher Darrell Taylor in free agency, per Ian Rapoport.
“The Texans are signing pass-rusher Darrell Taylor, per The Insiders, as he gets a 1-year, $5.25M deal done by agent Sean Kiernan of Athletes First,” Rapoport wrote.
Now, although Taylor has played in just one playoff game throughout his four-year career, he's a solid complimentary piece of a Texans pass rush that was already strong in 2024. With Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter manning the pass rush, Taylor can alleviate Anderson or Hunter, keeping them fresher throughout the season.
After three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, the Chicago Bears traded for Taylor in 2024. However, as part of the Bears for 16 games, Taylor ended the year with just three sacks — the lowest season total of his career.
On a defensive line that ranked first in pass rush win rate (49%) throughout the 2024 regular season, Taylor is landing in a much better environment than he was with the Bears. In contrast to Houston's defensive front, Chicago's pass rush win rate (37%) ranked 24th in the NFL.
Merely minutes after acquiring Taylor in free agency, the Texans added to their receiver room, inking a former teammate of Patrick Mahomes to a new contract, per Rapoport on X.
“Another Texans signing: Houston is adding Chiefs FA WR Justin Watson, sources say, as the Penn graduate and former Bucs WR lands in a new home,” Rapoport wrote.
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As a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Watson spent four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as mostly a depth piece.
Then — after four years — Watson signed with the Chiefs, catching passes from Mahomes for the next three seasons. In fact, Watson earned a two-year contract after his first season with the team.
In his two seasons alongside Mahomes — and one with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers — Watson has three Super Bowl rings throughout his seven-year career. Unlike most of the Texans' roster, Watson brings lived experience of what it's like to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, which is a valuable asset.
Although Watson wasn't a key piece in those Super Bowl-winning offenses, he's played in 10 playoff games throughout his career, giving him a slight edge once the Texans get to the postseason.
And if Houston makes another postseason run, they can lean on Watson a bit more, knowing he has more playoff experience than most players on the Texans' roster.
With the free agency signing of Darrell Taylor and Justin Watson to kick off the 2025 NFL offseason, the Texans have a bit more veteran leadership added to their roster as they head into the upcoming campaign looking for better results than the year before.