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The offseason is officially over. John Harris and I sat down on the eve of Training Camp 2026 to count down the five biggest offseason moves for your Houston Texans, and I have to tell you — this roster is makes me feel good.
I started with a few honorable mentions. Signing C Evan Brown gives this team real O-line depth. He's played center, he's played guard, and when you think about what we went through in 2023 with O-line injuries, having a guy like that ready to step in is enormous. Drafting DT Kayden McDonald in the second round out of Ohio State is another one I'm really excited about. I talked to Keylan Rutledge last week and he was already talking about McDonald — these guys know who each other are, and the mutual respect is there from Day 1. And look, keeping the entire defensive coaching staff together? DC Matt Burke, Cory Undlin, Dino Vasso — the fact that they're all back coaching the best defense in the league? That's a massive offseason win that doesn't show up in the transaction wire.
Now, the countdown. At No. 5, I put the acquisition of S Reed Blankenship. I compared it to putting a Ring camera on a house that's already secure. You've got Calen Bullock, you've got Jalen Pitre, you've got M.J. Stewart in the building — and now you add Reed Blankenship to that group? That's a luxury that becomes a necessity when you see how he elevates the entire secondary.
No. 4 was the right tackle position. Not just Braden Smith, not just Trent Brown — the whole picture. "For the first time in a while, you've got Plans A, B, and C," John said, and he's right.
At No. 3, I went with drafting Keylan Rutledge in the first round. "He just doesn't seem like a rookie already," I told John. Cade Stover said it best when he talked about the offense having personnel that thinks like the defense. Keylan Rutledge epitomizes that.
No. 2 was trading for RB David Montgomery. "Thirty-three touchdowns in the last three years," John pointed out. When you factor in Woody Marks, Jawhar Jordan, British Brooks, and Josh Pitsenberger from Yale — I'm telling you, Pitsenberger is going to light it up in preseason — this backfield has real depth.
And at No. 1, I went with the acquisition of G Wyatt Teller. "I want him in this building. I want him in that room," I said on the show, and I meant every word. You're bringing in Braden Smith, you've drafted Keylan Rutledge, you've got Febechi Nwaiwu, you re-signed Ed Ingram — but Wyatt Teller is the guy who ties it all together. He's the culture-setter. He's the guy that OL coach Cole Popovich can point to and say, this is the standard.
We also rolled some "best of" offseason interview clips, and the theme was unmistakable. Davis Mills: "Light years ahead of where we were last year." Cade Stover: "We're light years above where we were last year at this time." Jake Andrews: "Big step ahead… light years ahead in year two." British Brooks: "You can definitely see that with just being in the offense for a second year now." Four different players, four different positions, one unanimous message — this offense under OC Nick Caley is ready to take a huge leap.
One more thing before I let you go — this schedule is loaded. We open with back-to-back home games against the Bills and Bengals, only the second time in franchise history we've had that. Cowboys come to town Week 4 for the 25th anniversary celebration. And 13 of our 14 opponents were on the schedule for the inaugural 2002 season. It's a fitting celebration of 25 years of Texans football.
Camp starts tomorrow morning. We'll be live at the Houston Methodist Training Center starting at 6 a.m. with Payne and Pendergast, and then John and I take over at 8. The first of eight open practices is Saturday. I can't wait. Let's go.
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