Landry Locker grades the Texans' performance. Here are the grades for the first seven games. Follow Landry on YouTube.
Slow starts are the norm for Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. Even by his established standards, the start to the 2026 season has been beyond disappointing.
We aren’t quite halfway through the season yet, so these aren’t mid-term grades. We will call these first exam grades.
Here are the Land Lock Texans grades seven games into the 2026 season.
Quarterback: A
C.J. Stroud has done everything that he was asked to do this season and more.
Unfortunately, the two guys who were emphasizing what he needed to do, Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio, didn’t do their part. The areas in which they have control have all declined.
The outlook of the franchise has changed significantly. While there are still questions about how good Stroud can eventually be (especially during his next contract), there are MUCH bigger questions about Caserio and Ryans than him.
Running Backs: D
This grade is as much about a combination of an incompetent front office and mediocre offensive coaching staff as the actual players.
At a position where there is a lot of opportunity to add guys, including this season when the franchise had multiple opportunities to add backs on day three of the draft, the Texans front office is pathetically awful at creating a strong running back room with multiple guys who can make plays.
Woody Marks has been the best running back on the team despite being underutilized and the franchise adding David Montgomery to be the starter in the offseason.
Montgomery was not only not better than Marks, but he didn’t even look better than an aging Nick Chubb did last season.
For the second consecutive season, Jawhar Jordan had a really good game when the team was forced to play him after an injury to their aging, over-the-hill running back, but he got hurt again.
Even more frustrating is that even good players like Marks aren’t properly used and their elite skill sets are minimized. See: Marks receiving production in college compared to how this staff uses him.
The best things that happen to the running backs feel almost accidental at the hands of the year-round position mismanagement.
Wide Receivers: B
When evaluating Texans wide receivers, I try to separate how they are used/handcuffed by the staff from how they handle their opportunities.
Jaylin Noel was finally making an impact, but it still felt like he was underutilized. He clearly has a lot of talent and showed it when given opportunities. He’s done for the season now.
Nico Collins has had some really good moments along with missing time with an injury, which is expected. However, an interesting, troubling development is that it feels like opposing defenses may be committing to taking Collins out of the game, which may be too much for this offensive staff to counter. Stay tuned for that.
Kayshon Boutte has made some spectacular plays and seems to make the most of his limited opportunities.
It will be interesting to see what Marvin Harrison Jr. looks like in this offense, but it’s hard to imagine the production matching what was given up to acquire him, especially this season. He isn’t a bad player, but he isn’t a top-end NFL wide receiver either. The most interesting thing to observe will be if there’s an extra commitment to get him involved because of what was given up and his previous relationship with Stroud.
Xavier Hutchinson has been everything you could realistically expect and more. It feels like he gets unnecessary backlash from fans because of what he is asked to do and the fact that his fellow wide receivers feel underutilized, but he has been a solid player. You would take what Hutchinson gives you from any sixth-round pick.
Tight Ends: C
There was a huge commitment to the tight end position in the offseason, but the impact has been minimal.
Dalton Schultz has been alright, but the upside is minimal and the better days appear to be a thing of the past.
Foster Moreau has been fine.
Cade Stover’s blocking has improved a lot. He has displayed the necessary improvement in year three.
Brevin Jordan provides good vibes for the head coach and his teammates with minimal impact on special teams and non-existent impact on offense, which is actually about what you’d expect.
Marlin Klein was drafted in the second round to sit on the sidelines despite a solid camp and exciting start to the season.
Offensive Line: D
Caserio’s handling of the offensive line is well-documented, especially right here. There’s no need to break it down because it’s as clear as day.
Based on expectations, the offensive line hasn’t been a complete disaster, but it has been far from good. Stroud masks a lot of the issues.
Aireontae Ersery has been the worst offensive lineman on the team and is near the top of the league in penalties. He has also had his head coach question his effort and willingness to finish blocks.
Trent and Evan Brown have been about what you should realistically expect, with some lows and okay performances.
Keylan Rutledge hasn’t lived up to the hype, but has looked like a rookie with some promise and has gone against an elite group of defensive tackles.
Ed Ingram hasn’t been better than last season, but has been ok and is a clear upgrade over backup Wyatt Teller.
Caserio has denied the need for extreme changes in offensive line evaluation in the past when I’ve asked him about it, but after the season, changes need to be made.
Defensive Line: B
Will Anderson Jr. is one of the favorites for defensive player of the year. However, it feels like this defense depends on him to dominate games to even have a chance. It’s a responsibility he’s up for a lot of the time, but a lot to ask and not a sustainable recipe for success.
Danielle Hunter has looked like a guy who could be on the decline, which is expected at his age, but a declining Hunter is still a really good player.
Sheldon Rankins has been solid with a really good start to the season, and it will be interesting to see how he holds up as the season goes on.
Clowney has been a solid addition despite being banged up at times.
Logan Hall has been meh, but appears to have a more ideal role with the return of rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.
Tommy Togiai has been very up and down and, despite some good moments, hasn’t broken out as much as some expected this season.
Overall, the defensive line has been fine and good enough to win.
Linebackers: D-
Azeez Al-Shaair has fallen off this season. There’s no other way to put it. With the standards he has set in previous years, he has played by far the worst football of his Texans tenure. He’s clearly banged-up, which is expected for someone who has played that style for that long, but also leads to questions about the extension he signed in the offseason and how that will age.
Henry To’oTo’o had an awesome camp, but was injured early on. He seems to still be in pain despite trying to gut it out. Both he and Al-Shaair are often liabilities in coverage and are now struggling to tackle at the level they have in the past.
Jake Hansen did an admirable job filling in when given the opportunity and has been the bright spot of the group. Wade Woodaz is banged up and started the season with a cast on his hand, with moderate impact on special teams.
This unit is clearly banged up, but a natural decline also appears to be on display by the leader of the unit, which is the biggest issue.
Safeties: C-
Reed Blankenship looked as bad as any strong safety has in the DeMeco Ryans era before getting injured. M.J. Stewart might be the better player, which tells you all you need to know.
Calen Bullock appears to be cleaning up a lot of the messes around him, and it’s hard to fully evaluate him. He’s still a very, very good player.
Jalen Pitre was picked on against Dallas and appears to be a clear target against the pass, but makes a difference against the run. He is also a smaller guy being asked to play close to the line of scrimmage, which can take a lot out of a player physically. How he looks when he returns and how his game ages, like Al-Shaair, will be something to pay attention to in the final 10 games.
Cornerbacks: D
The standard for these cornerbacks is high. They haven’t met it. Is it their fault or have opposing offensive coordinators found a way to expose their coaches? It may be a combination of both.
Kamari Lassiter has been the biggest disappointment of the season; there’s no sugar-coating it. I still believe he is a very good football player, but he is clearly going through a tough stretch in his young career and will need to learn from it both physically and mentally.
Derek Stingley is fighting an uphill battle if he wants to continue his All-Pro streak, but he also seems to be the biggest casualty of the current scheme and opposing offenses adjusting to the way the Texans call defense. The distance between him and the opposing wide receivers is something that is consistently questioned and called out during broadcasts.
The backup corners have been what you would expect, including Jaylin Smith being injured, which has been the norm during his brief NFL career.
Special Teams: C-
Special teams coaches, specifically Frank Ross, don’t teach kickers and punters how to use their foot. Every aspect that Ross coaches hands-on has been mediocre to poor.
Ka’imi Fairbairn and Kai Kroeger have been fantastic, but outside of that, this is a below-average special teams group.
Coaching: D
The defense appears to have schematic issues, which the coaches deny. They also have fundamental issues, which the coaches embrace.
The defense is far from the elite, championship-caliber unit we saw last season. When you have already had two different coaches who have called the defense with no significant improvement, that tells you all you need to know about the coaching on that side of the ball.
Offensive coordinator Nick Caley has been good at times and definitely better than his colleagues on the other side of the ball, but his bads are as bad as it gets. The offense is a frustrating watch, and even when they’re at their best, it feels like the quarterback is masking a lot of schematic problems.
Ross’s special teams have felt like a declining unit for a couple of years now, minus the kicking and punting.
