The Houston Texans haven’t really gotten into the swing of things with their offseason program yet. That comes this week when they begin Organized Team Activities (affectionately known as OTAs) on Wednesday this week, with three sessions this week and three more next week. Mandatory minicamp happens the following week.
However, players have been working out, and before we even get to OTAs, we already have our first injury that will drift into at least a portion of the regular season. Linebacker E.J. Speed sustained a partial tear of his quad muscle, and will require surgery. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports that Speed is expected back “at some point this season.”
Speed played in 16 games last season, starting nine. He was a fixture on special teams. While it’d be a reach to call Speed’s presence critical for the best defense in the NFL, he certainly has a role, and he’s most definitely improved as a player under the tutelage of DeMeco Ryans.
So what exactly does this mean for the Texans? Unlike most other Houston teams, and other portions of the Texans’ roster, injuries for the Texans’ defense is somewhat foreign territory over the last season. Here are three thoughts on Speed’s injury:
Is this a harbinger of injury stories to come?
Obviously, we all hope not, but it’s hard to ignore how fortunate the Texans were in the injury department last season on the defensive side of the ball. Of the seven “core players” on defense — Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, Jalen Pitre, Kamari Lassiter, Derek Stingley, and Calen Bullock — that group missed a COMBINED total of five games all season. That’s remarkable health luck, although, granted, some of the guys like Stingley and Lassiter were dealing with some form of injury all season and playing through it. Logically, Speed’s injury has zero effect on anybody else, but if you believe in the football gods, and their proclivity to “balance things out” year over year, this injury may be the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
Speed was one of the latest “prove it” guys to get paid
I feel badly for Speed personally. After coming from a small school in Tarleton State back in 2020, and six seasons in Indianapolis where he ascended from strictly special teams to a full time starter, Speed came to Houston on a one-year deal specifically to play for Ryans and augment his game. He did enough in 2025 to earn a two-year, $13 million extension from GM Nick Caserio. There’s a decent chance Speed may have seen an expanded role this season with a good training camp. Now, there will be no training camp for Speed.
Do the Texans dip into the free agency, or roll with the youngsters?
At the very least, this opens up an early need for someone to either step up or join the Texans off the street. Among the meaningful names still available at off ball linebacker, the only one that really resonates is Bobby Wagner, and I’m not sure that’s really a fit, based on role and money he may be seeking. More likely, for the time being, this is a chance for third year linebacker Jamal Hill to finally step into a bigger role, or for rookies Wade Woodaz or Aiden Fisher to make an impression with a handful of snaps now up for grabs in training camp.
