Perhaps the largest relevance chasm of any one thing in the NFL, between the media and actual NFL front office and coaches, resides in the first depth chart that teams release before the first preseason game. Media slurps it up like a hot fudge sundae, wondering why “random third string veteran is listed behind two rookies!”
Meanwhile, coaches and general managers dismiss the depth chart entirely, citing it as a requirement from the league as part of the administrative informative package for media and fans. In fact, DeMeco Ryans basically told the assembled media on Tuesday in West Virginia to rip it up and ignore it.
Well, DeMeco can request us to do anything, it doesn’t mean we have to comply. Not only will I refrain from discarding your depth chart, DeMeco, I am going to embrace it and lean into several hot takes about it. So without further ado, here is the Houston Texans’ 2025 depth chart in advance of the preseason opener against the Vikings:
The #Texans have released their 'unoffical' depth chart for the first preseason game.@KHOU pic.twitter.com/qMT49qN6dP
— Jason Bristol (@JBristolKHOU) August 5, 2025
Okay, now let’s let those hot takes burn! Here we go:
4. Who is going to start at center?
In a camp where there has been a fair amount of mixing and matching along the offensive line across every position, the Texans have been pretty consistent at the center position. It’s a battle between Jake Andrews, who the team signed as a free agent this offseason, and Jarrett Patterson, a 6th round pick by the Texans in 2023, with Andrew getting a majority of the snaps with the first team. So why then is Patterson listed as the first team center? Great question! I have no idea why, but he is!
3. Two rookies crack the starting lineup
In the offseason, prior to the draft, DeMeco Ryans was laying out what general expectations should be for certain players based on where they’re drafted. He said that you should expect first round picks to compete for starting jobs. Well, the Texans didn’t have a first round pick, but they had two second round picks, and as of right now, both are listed as starters, with WR Jayden Higgins in the first string as the third wide receiver, and with RT Aireontae Ersery listed as the starter at right tackle, although he’s been playing first string left tackle with Cam Robinson getting banged up a couple practices ago.
2. The running back position is a jumbled mess
When he is healthy, Joe Mixon is expected to be the first string running back, and likely threaten the 1,000 yard mark again. The problem is that Mixon is not healthy, and is likely to miss all of camp. Enter Nick Chubb, a former All Pro, who is a shell of his former self, due to injuries, and who missed Wednesday’s practice, presumably with some bump or bruise. Now here comes Dameon Pierce, a fan favorite, who just started practicing on Wednesday. Rookie Woody Marks might be the most explosive back they’ve had in camp, and Jawhar Jordan, who was probably fifth string to begin the preseason, is vying for playing time. Yes, this whole thing is a circus, perfectly captured by MIxon’s complete absence from the depth chart at all.
1. Wide receiver and special teams are inextricably linked and here’s why…
The Texans will likely take six wide receivers into the season, four of whom are locks to make the team right now — Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel. After that, there are four names that are battling it out for employment — Justin Watson, Xavier Hutchinson, John Metchie, and Braxton Berrios. This is where it gets tricky for Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans. It could very well be that special teams becomes a deciding factor, which is great news for Watson and Hutchinson (both of whom play on special teams), bad news for Metchie (who didn’t last season), and possibly great news for Berrios, who was an All Pro return guy a few years ago. All four guys are having good camps, too. I think the return game for Berrios could really be a linchpin for him, to where the team might keep two of Watson, Metchie and Hutchinson, and keep Berrios on the strength of his return skills as almost a separate conversation from the receiver battle, like Steven Sims last season.
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