2025 Houston Texans Off-Season Updates Presented by GoldSheet | NFL Previews

Head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud have led the Houston Texans to back-to-back division titles and playoff wins in each of the last two years. Did they make enough moves in the offseason to join the ranks of Kansas City, Buffalo and Baltimore in the upper-echelon of the AFC in 2025?

2025 Houston Texans Team Preview

AFC South Odds

Team	SB LX Odds	AFC	Division	Win Total
Texans	+3500	+1900	+115	9.5 (o EV / u -120)
Jaguars	+8000	+4000	+260	7.5 (o -125 / u +105)
Colts	+12000	+6000	+380	7.5 (-110)
Titans	+20000	+10000	+650	5.5 (o -150 / u +125)

Odds above courtesy of DraftKings as of June 24. The Houston Texans went 10-7 straight-up, 7-8-2 against the spread in the regular season last year. The Texans won the AFC South and beat the Chargers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs before falling to the Chiefs in the Division Round.

Houston Texans Roster Moves

QBs on Roster: C.J. Stroud (3rd Year); Davis Mills (5th Year); Kedon Slovis (2nd Year); and Graham Mertz (Rookie)

Coaching Changes: Head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke are each back for their third campaign. Nick Caley has replaced Bobby Slowik as offensive coordinator. Caley previously served as the Rams’ tight ends coach and passing game coordinator.

Key Acquisitions: Wide receiver Christian Kirk; Cornerback Ronald Darby; Offensive lineman Cam Robinson; Defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins; Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson; Offensive lineman Trent Brown; Linebacker E.J. Speed; Cornerback Tremon Smith; Running back Nick Chubb; Wide receiver Justin Watson; and offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson

Key Departures: Offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil; Wide receiver Stefon Diggs; Wide receiver Robert Woods; Cornerback Jeff Okudah; and offensive lineman Kenyon Green

2025 Houston Texans Draft Picks: R2 P34 Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State; R2 P48 Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota; R3 P79 Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State; R3 P97 Jaylin Smith, CB, USC; R6 P116 Woody Marks, RB, USC; R6 P187 Jaylen Reed, S, Penn State; R6 P197 Graham Mertz, QB, Florida; R7 P224 Kyonte Hamilton, DL, Rutgers; R7 P255 Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa

2025 Houston Texans Schedule

****GS Line represents our projected point spreads using our summer power ratings. Special thanks to Ralph Michaels (@CalSportsLV) for his assistance in putting the schedules together with rest disparities and DraftKings’ opening spreads.

2025 NFL Rule Changes

• Touchbacks on a kickoff will now give the receiving team the ball on the 35-yard line instead of the 30 in an effort to increase more kick returns and discourage touchbacks.
• The regular season overtime rules will now match the postseason overtime rules, as both teams will now have an opportunity to possess the ball regardless of the outcome of the first drive. Per Jon Ferrari of the Eagles, 37.5-percent of last year’s overtime games ended with a first-drive touchdown. The new rule will allow both teams to have the ball.
• The video review booth will have an increased role in assisting the on-field officials. The video assistants can’t put a flag on the field if they believe that the officials missed a call, but they can pick one up if an erroneous flag is thrown (i.e. a facemask penalty is called, but upon video review, it’s determined that the facemask was never actually grabbed).
• Artificial intelligence and lasers will be used to determine the remaining yardage for a first down. The officials are still responsible for spotting the football just like they always have, but technology will now do the job of the chain gang and they will no longer have to run in from the sidelines for a first down measurement. Once the official places the ball down, lasers will determine if the offense reached the first down line and/or how far away they are from reaching that mark.
• Teams that are trailing will now be able to attempt an onside kick at any point in the game from the 34-yard-line (instead of the traditional kickoff spot at the 35-yard-line). Previously, teams were only able to attempt an onside kick in the fourth quarter.

2025 Football GoldSheet Early Bird Special

Subscribe to the country’s longest-running sports betting newsletter for less than $10 per week. The Football GoldSheet will be your betting concierge through the 2025-26 football season, offering weekly NFL and NCAAF game previews, stat logs and much more. Early-bird subscribers will begin receiving preseason content in May as we recap the NFL draft and schedule release, plus season win totals and division previews.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of the Houston Texans games from their release in May all the way through Week 1 in September. Find free NFL picks from season win total bets through Super Bowl futures on our free picks pages.

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