Full list of Texans free agents in 2024

Highlights

• The Houston Texans won the AFC South in 2023 thanks to brilliant performances from C.J. Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans.
• The team has $70M in cap space but could lose a number of key veterans as free agency looms.
• With a talented young roster, the Texans may enter the inner circle of Super Bowl contenders with a strong offseason.

Last year at this time, the Houston Texans were preparing for an important offseason following a difficult 2022. They finished in last place in the AFC South with a 3-13-1 record, and to make matters worse, they cost themselves the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by winning their regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts.

Luckily, the team’s blunder didn’t end up costing them in the end, as the Carolina Panthers traded up for the first overall pick and selected Bryce Young (who struggled mightily in his rookie year), leaving C.J. Stroud for the Texans at No. 2.

Behind Stroud and rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans, the Texans shocked the world and won the division in 2023, even notching a playoff win against the Cleveland Browns. Now loaded with cap space and a young, talented roster, the Texans will have a chance this offseason to leap from upstarts to the league’s inner circle of Super Bowl contenders.

Houston Texans 2024 Free Agents

The reigning AFC South Champions have some key veterans who need to be re-signed

The Texans have the majority of their core locked down for the next few years, as most of their best players are still on their rookie contracts. As such, the team currently ranks sixth in the NFL with more than $70 million in cap space heading into the offseason.

However, the team is due to lose some key veterans who played instrumental roles in Houston’s meteoric rise last season.

Sheldon Rankins, DT

The veteran defensive lineman has played in a myriad of schemes in his eight-year career, having played for the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets before joining the Texans last offseason.

Rankins’ six sacks were his most since a breakout 2018 season in New Orleans, as were his tackles for loss (nine), QB hits (10), and pressures (12). He thrived playing adjacent to rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., which was reminiscent of his and Cam Jordan’s dominance for the Saints a half-decade ago.

The Texans have plenty of cap space to retain Rankins on another one-year deal (he had a $9.75 million salary in 2023), though he may have earned a slight raise thanks to his performance in 2023. Either way, it’s hard to envision the Texans letting one of their starting defensive tackles walk (barring a splurge on another interior defensive lineman in free agency).

Should Rankins be allowed to test the market, any team running a 4-3 front and in need of a pass-rushing defensive tackle would be a well-fitted suitor.

Dalton Schultz, TE

The former Dallas Cowboys’ tight end ranked third on the Texans with 635 receiving yards in 2023, and his 59 receptions were second only to Nico Collins.

Schultz is a big-bodied receiver with a recent history of solid production (50+ catches and 500+ receiving yards in every season since 2020), making him one of the best tight ends on the market this offseason. He made good on his one-year, $6.25 million deal as Stroud’s security blanket, and now he deserves the long-term deal he never got after the Cowboys franchise tagged him in 2022.

Like Rankins, it’s hard to imagine the cap-flush Texans letting Schultz walk (especially given his impressive rapport with Stroud), though the tight end could incite a bidding war ahead of his age-28 season.

Schultz will fit nearly any team in need of a starting tight end, though he’s not much of a blocker. Systems that require more well-rounded skill sets from their tight ends might not be a good fit, though he’d still profile well as a glorified slot receiver.

Steven Nelson, CB

Nelson is projected to be one of the better cornerbacks on the market this offseason, and his Iron Man like habits – he’s played at least 92% of his team’s defensive snaps in seven of nine seasons – will appeal to teams in need of a veteran cornerback.

Nelson tied his career-high in interceptions in 2023 (four) and has made a home as the Texans’ boundary corner opposite Derek Stingley Jr. At this point in his career, the 31-year-old should be counted on as a number two corner, who is capable of playing in both zone and man-coverage schemes.

As a proven veteran who’s played in a ton of different defensive schemes with the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, and now the Texans, Nelson should appeal to practically every team with a need in their secondary this offseason.

Houston could make a move to re-sign the veteran, though Nelson could also seek out a team with more recent Super Bowl bona fides. It just so happens the San Francisco 49ers are in need of some cornerback help following their loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 58.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise. All salary info via Spotrac.