If Texans fans went into hibernation after the 2023 season, needing a little bit of recovery from a LONG, emotional season, they'll have woken up wondering what in the you-know-what happened to the defensive line.
Three starters have moved on, including both of the interior starters, but the Texans added the most game-wrecking edge rushing free agent on the board. They also added a former AFC South nemesis who was a thorn in their sides with both Indianapolis and Tennessee. Plus, a pair of interior 315+ pounders. And just when it looked like the Texans were all set and ready for camp, they sneakily signed a veteran who was instrumental on this line for the past two seasons.
With training camp just around the corner, let's dive into this defensive line group, one that looks remarkably different than it did in 2023…and perhaps even more explosive than last year's group.
Defensive line (numerical order)
(No number as of July 16) DE Jerry Hughes
15th year - 3rd in Houston
2022 FA signing, 2024 re-signing
2023 Stats - 17 games, 32 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 4.0 TFL, one FF
- 13th on active list for fumbles forced in career (19)
- 15th on active list for sacks since 1960 (70.0)
Honors
1x AFC Defensive Player of the Week - 2020
This news snuck right up on me as I flew out to Las Vegas for Big 12 Media Days last week but it was good news, nonetheless. The Man is back. I've been a huge fan of Jerry's since his days as an All-State running back at Austin HS in the Fort Bend (TX) district. The Texans missed Hughes after he was injured on a Jonathan Taylor TD run in the win over the Colts in Week 18 last year. I thought that was going to be it for Hughes, but then this past week, he re-signed with the Texans. What I've said about Jerry is even more in play for 2024: find a way to utilize him in predictable pass rush situations, 15-20 snaps a game to maximize his volume and impact. I'm so happy the Fort Bend County native is back in Houston with this squad.
DE 50 Solomon Byrd
Rookie
2024 7th round selection
2023 Stats (USC) - 13 games, 49 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 11.0 TFL, four FF
The Texans went to the USC well again in the seventh round (S Calen Bullock in the 3rd round) to find Byrd, a longtime Wyoming Cowboy, who finished his career at USC. Byrd is a dynamic rusher with some definite pass rush acumen. Focus on how he gets to the QB and not his testing numbers. Those numbers don't tell the real story of Byrd's impact on the field. He's going to have to set the edge well against the run and find two or three pet moves to get to the QB, but he's got a lot of ability that most 7th rounders don't have. It's a tough numbers game, though, so Byrd will have to shine in the preseason games to push to make the roster and, even more so, for playing time as a rookie.
DE 51 Will Anderson Jr.
2nd year in Houston
2023 1st round selection
2023 Stats - 15 games, 45 tackles, 7.0 sacks, 10.0 TFL, 22 QB hits
Honors
2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
1x Pro Bowl - 2023
The Truth. The NFL DROY Anderson Jr embraced the city of Houston from the second that the Texans made The Trade with the Arizona Cardinals. And, it's been such an amazing thing to see the city embrace Will too. He was such a joy to watch last year and he came out of the chute so fast and strong that all the noise about trading up to draft Will was a distant memory by year's end. He's going to be the tone setter, the physical force and the leader for this defense for years to come. Glad he's on our side, for sure.
DE 55 Danielle Hunter
10th year - 1st year in Houston
2024 FA signing
2023 Stats (MIN) - 17 games, 83 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 23.0 TFL, four FF, 22 QB hits
- Led the league in 2023 with 23 TFL
- 5th in the NFL in 2023 with 16.5 sacks
- 12th on active list with 108 TFL
- 11th on active list with sacks since 1982 with 87.5 sacks - 63rd all-time
Honors
4x Pro Bowl - 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
1x 2nd Team All-Pro - 2018
I was sitting in the studios at SportsRadio 610 when I received the news that Hunter was going to be a Texan. That is a day that I'll never forget and I hope the reality is as good as the dream. As he returns back to Houston (he's originally from Katy), he's coming back with a new hefty contract in tow and pass rush moves in bunches. I don't know that I've seen a more unique and skilled pass rusher than Hunter in the entire NFL. He finished with a whopping 16.5 sacks in 2023 and led the league with 23 TFL, so he doesn't just coast through the run game as many NFL edge stars do. Alongside Anderson, Autry, Hughes, Barnett and others, Hunter will have teams stressed about who, and how, to block all of them effectively, in whatever combination out on the field.
DT 58 McTelvin Agim
3rd year - 2nd year in Houston
2023 FA signing
2023 Stats (IND) - one game, two tackles, one QB hit
Agim signed with the Texans in the final week of the season and signed a reserve/future contract to stay with the team into Training Camp 2024. I was a big fan of his at Arkansas and he has plenty of athleticism for a guy that was 309 at the Combine in 2020. He's been active for teams a few times throughout his young career, but just hasn't been able to lock up a roster spot for a significant stretch of time. Could Houston be that landing point?
IDL 59 Marcus Harris
Rookie
2024 7th round selection
2023 Stats (Auburn) - 12 games, 40 tackles, 11.0 TFL, 7.0 sacks, one FF, one QB hurry
At the Senior Bowl, it was easy to lose Harris amongst the behemoths at defensive tackle. But, Harris stood out at the position for his stout build and his bounce off the snap. His first step is incredibly quick and that gave teams a ton of problems in the SEC (after transferring from Kansas). That's what makes Harris stand out because it's certainly not his size. He's thick and strong, but he's TRULY going to have to rely on his quickness and twitch to create mayhem on the inside, penetrating gaps up the field.
DE/DT 79 Pheldarius Payne
Rookie
2024 UDFA
2023 Stats (Virginia Tech) - 13 games, 31 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 10.0 TFL, five QB hurries, one FF
Unfortunately, Payne missed most of OTA/minicamp and that as a rookie is really difficult during that time frame. The momentum into training camp can be helpful, especially for an undrafted rookie. Payne played inside at Virginia Tech and, like Harris, he's undersized to play that position with regularity. But, that twitch, quickness and burst upfield are valuable in this Texans defense. I just want to see him healthy and then watch that quickness create issues for the Texans OL during TC.
DE 90 Ali Gaye
2nd year in Houston
2023 UDFA
*No 2023 Stats - practice squad all season
Gaye was an undrafted free agent, choosing to sign with the Texans. He wasn't active for a game in 2023, but he improved throughout the season, learned a ton throughout the season as well. I'm intrigued to see how much he's improved in July 2024 when Training Camp kicks off.
DT 91 Folorunso Fatukasi
7th year - 1st year in Houston
2024 FA signing
2023 Stats (Jacksonville) - 16 games, 24 tackles, 3.0 TFL, two QB hits, one pass defensed
Nothing gets my heart pumping more than a 320-lb, quick and powerful interior player like Fatukasi. I never liked him playing for the Jaguars at all, so now he hops over to the right side of the rivalry, which makes me happy. The Texans needed size, but athletic and powerful size is even better, and Fatukasi gives this front exactly that.
DE 92 Dylan Horton
2nd year in Houston
2023 4th round selection
2023 Stats - ten games, 13 tackles, one TFL, two QB hits, one fumble recovery
The Horton watch is on! Earlier in the spring, Horton and the Texans announced that he had been diagnosed with stage four Hodgkins' Lymphoma in early December. In that announcement, though, Horton stated that he was in remission and getting healthier by the day. That was such GREAT news to hear. So, now that he's 1-0 against Lymphoma, when can we see Horton on the field? I've been in the building as four different players dealt with this disease and all four returned healthy, thankfully, but all within different time frames. Horton was certainly missed on the field last year and whenever his health allows, it'll be great to see him doing what he loves. I don't want to rush him at all, but I am anxious to see him back on the field because a healthy Horton can really help this defense, for sure.
DT 93 Kurt Hinish
3rd year in Houston
2022 UDFA
2023 Stats - 17 games, 22 tackles, ½ sack, 2.0 TFL, two QB hits, one pass defensed
During most games in 2023, Hinish and Khalil Davis entered the lineup on the second or third series of the game and created a ton of havoc. Hinish was stout against the run and more than effective rushing the QB. Every day since he arrived in 2022, he's improved his skills and playing techniques. He was an undrafted free agent and he plays like he's trying to prove his worth to the team on every single play. He's tough, quick and the consummate teammate/role player on this team. I thought he played his best game at the end of the season against Baltimore in the Divisional round playoff game too. There's much more to come for Hinish now in his third year.
DT 94 Khalil Davis
4th year - 2nd year in Houston
2023 FA signing
2023 Stats - 15 games, 32 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 6.0 TFL, six QB hits, one FF, one FR, two passes defensed
Honors
1x Super Bowl Champion - 2020 (Buccaneers)
I will tell the Khalil Davis story for as long as I have breath and a microphone (or computer). Davis won a USFL title on July 1st, 2023 as a member of the Birmingham Stallions and a little under a month later, he walked into Texans Training Camp for the first time. I went down to watch one-on-ones on his first day in pads and I walked back over and told Marc "Hey, this guy Davis is killing dudes." He got better and better throughout the year, making plays all over the field with a smile the size of NRG Stadium on his face. The Texans extended his stay in Houston with a contract to return in 2024. What a story he was last year and it's time to do it all over again.
DE 95 Derek Barnett
8th year - 2nd year in Houston
2023 Waiver claim
2023 Stats (PHI & HOU) - 14 games, 22 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 9.0 TFL, 11 QB hits
Honors
1x Super Bowl Champion - 2017 (Eagles)
There were plenty of tremendous stories that arose during the Texans 2023 season, and Barnett's was certainly one of those. Released in Philadelphia in November, the Texans made a waiver claim on Barnett. From day one, he came in and gave the Texans exactly what they needed off the edge. His 2.5 sacks came in the last four games of the season. He had at least one TFL in every game he played in a Texans jersey (ten over those seven games). He had a key sack of Joe Flacco in the playoff win. He generated 13 QB hits in those seven games as well, registering one QB hit in every game but the last one v. Baltimore. Talk about impact, my goodness. And, he's back, along with Anderson, Hunter, Autry, Hughes and more…and that should be enough to scare the AFC South.
DE/DT 96 Denico Autry
11th year - 1st year in Houston
2024 FA signing
2023 Stats (TEN) - 17 games, 50 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 12.0 TFL, 17 QB hits, two FF, four passes defensed.
- 24th on the active list with 59.0 sacks
- Career high 11.5 sacks in 2023
Honors
1x AFC Defensive Player of the Week - 2018
For years, YEARS, I've written about Autry as an opposing pass rusher that the Texans needed to find a way to block. Since 2018, Autry has played the Texans twice a year each year as a member of the Colts and then the Titans. That's 12 games, he racked up 9.5 sacks. On an annual basis, that would be a 13.5 sack season. So, yeah, he's still got juice and had two sacks in the first matchup against the Texans in Tennessee in December. It's surreal to think he's finally on the good guys' side, but I'll take it!
DE/DT 97 Mario Edwards
10th year - 1st year in Houston
2024 FA signing
2023 Stats (SEA) - 15 games, 21 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 5.0 TFL, six QB hits, one FF, one pass defensed
Edwards has played all over the defensive line in his career and there's no telling where he'll exactly play in 2024. But, that gives DeMeco Ryans and Matt Burke options with a guy like Edwards. He has 21.5 career sacks and he's gotten those from all over the front, so I'm curious how the Texans deploy him during training camp and on into those four preseason games.
DT 98 Tim Settle
7th year - 1st year in Houston
2024 FA signing
2023 Stats (BUF) - 17 games, 14 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1.0 TFL, two QB hits
The former Virginia Tech interior defensive linemen was part of a STOUT rotation of interior defensive linemen in Buffalo. The 6-3, 313 lb. Settle started twice in 2023, finishing the season with 1.0 sack and 14 tackles. The Texans needed defensive line help after losing both Sheldon Rankins (signed with Cincinnati) and Maliek Collins (trade to San Francisco) so Settle settles in nicely in H-Town.
