For Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio, roster construction is, by and large, about one word — competition. The two of them are in lockstep on many different football-related topics, but perhaps they are most in synch on their players feeling like they met always EARN their position, even the star players.
To that end, the two of them have made some very interesting decisions in the past few weeks, both with individual players they've brought in, as well as their overall strategies for constructing certain positions. Their teardown of last season's offensive line has been one of the most discussed topics league wide over the past month.
So, for now, as we are three weeks out from the draft, here are the four most compelling position group competitions on the 2025 Houston Texans. These are competitions that will only get spicier after the draft later this month:
**4. TIGHT END (Dalton Schultz, Cade Stover, Brevin Jordan)**On paper, this doesn't appear to be a major competition — Schultz is the highly paid starter, Stover is the second year riser, and Jordan is the veteran in a prove it season. However, the presence of offensive coordinator Nick Caley, whose NFL coaching background is largely as a tight ends coach, makes this very interesting. Schultz was a disappointment last season, to where he is highly overpaid right now at $12 million per year. Can Caley get Schultz back to his 2023 form? Also, Jordan's athletic tools open up some intriguing possibilities as to how he is used, for a coach who has some creativity.
**3. WIDE RECEIVER (Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson, Braxton Berrios, Justin Watson, Jered Wayne, Xavier Johnson)**Collins and Kirk are entrenched as the top two receivers for this team. After that, the competition is wide open, and will likely have a drafted rookie dropped into the middle of it. Metchie and Hutchinson played meaningful snaps for the Texans last season, but that's not necessarily a good thing. Both have trouble getting open. Berrios and Watson are potentially sneaky, inexpensive pickups. Berrios has been a force in the return game, at times, in his career, and Watson has played plenty fo snaps on Super Bowl contending teams in Tampa Bay and Kansas City.
**2. LINEBACKER (Azeez Al-Shaair, Christian Harris, Henry To'o To'o, E.J. Speed, Jake Hansen)**This room got much more interesting with the addition of E.J. Speed over the weekend. Al-Shaair will definitely be a starter, and will call the defensive plays. He is a captain who is beloved by DeMeco Ryans. After that, it gets pretty crazy, for a team that typically only plays two linebackers in most of their defensive sets. To'o To'o was the starter at that spot for most of last season, when healthy. Harris has the most physical talent of any of the linebackers, again, when healthy. Speed was a starter for the Colts last season, playing 98 percent of the snaps. This will be one of the best competitions in training camp.
1. OFFENSIVE LINE (Cam Robinson, Tytus Howard, Blake Fisher, Laken Tomlinson, Ed Ingram, Juice Scruggs, Jarrett Patterson, Nick Broeker, LaDarius Henderson)
This is a room that is undoubtedly still under construction. The recent signing of Robinson, at least, brings some semblance of structure, as he will almost assuredly be the starting left tackle, replacing Laremy Tunsil. After that, all four spots are wide open, especially considering the positional versatility of the players involved. Howard can play guard or tackle. Tomlinson and Ingram can play either guard spot. Finally, Scruggs and Patterson can both play guard or center. If the Texans had to play a game on Sunday, my best guess at a starting five, left to right, would be Robinson at left tackle, Howard at left guard, Patterson at center, Tomlinson at right guard, and Fisher at right tackle.
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