The Houston Texans are on the cusp of their second preseason game before the 2026 season, facing off against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night , where they'll likely see a glimpse of this year's No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Being at home and playing against the top pick from this year's draft makes this game pretty important for a preseason matchup as is. But for a select few players on the Texans' roster-- even on a night with several starters resting --there's a ton of importance to this contest for the sake of their stock heading into the new season.
Players are fighting for positioning on the depth chart, and in some cases, clawing for a spot on the 53-man roster with cuts less than two weeks away. A good performance in preseason against the Raiders could be the moment taking them over the top for that desired security.
Let's take a look at four players around the Texans' roster who have the most to gain from their upcoming preseason game vs. the Raiders:
Jul 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jared Wayne (89) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Texans' wide receiver room has a ton of opportunity open with the recent season-ending injury suffered to Jayden Higgins . As Houston's No. 2 wideout is now done for the year, his absence allows for others deeper down the depth chart to make a statement, and potentially rise up the ranks to be a more secure bet to make the roster.
That's exactly the situation Jared Wayne finds himself in right now. He enters his third year with the Texans after being primarily a practice squad guy for the last two seasons, has an opportunity to claim more reps as an outside receiver in this Houston offense, and if able to take advantage of them, might claim a Week 1 roster spot for the first time in his career.
So far in training camp and preseason, Wayne's performed excellently. He had a touchdown in Houston's first game against the Los Angeles Rams , and another score in this one could be huge for his stock.
Jul 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Marlin Klein (83) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Texans' second-round pick from this year's draft didn't see a ton of looks his way in the first game of preseason last week. Klein only hauled in one reception and handed over most of his reps at tight end to other names on the depth chart once the second half got underway.
But it was that one reception for 34 yards that made up for Houston's biggest play of the day, put Klein on the map, and really started to showcase the vision that the Texans had in store for him when they drafted him earlier this offseason: a big-bodied tight end who's had a limited sample size on the field, but could develop into a really nice vertical weapon and a plus-level blocker.
A good performance against the Raiders here will only help his odds of getting more snaps earlier than expected in the regular season. And considering C.J. Stroud is set to play a few reps on Thursday, building more chemistry with the QB1 of the offense certainly wouldn't hurt moving forward either.
Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive tackle Naquan Jones (91) reacts after a play during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
One of the Texans' biggest defensive plays of their first preseason game stemmed from a rep that Naquan Jones put together.
In one of Houston's two sacks on the day, Jones had a play in the third quarter where the defensive tackle seamlessly dropped into coverage, read the play perfectly, and rushed through the middle of the Chargers' line to takedown quarterback Trey Lance .
Those are the types of plays that jump out on the film tape, and can even keep players on rosters in some cases. For Jones, plays like that are extremely significant when factoring in how competitive the Texans' defensive tackle room looks, and how few spots there might be up for grabs past the 53-man cut.
If Jones is able to have similar production or plays on Thursday, his route to making it to the Texans' roster for Week 1 starts to become a little more real.
Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans punter Kai Kroeger (38) punts the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Texans are in their second preseason game where second-year punter, Kai Kroeger, is the only player at his position on the 90-man roster .
That's a sign that, while this competition to find Houston's Week 1 punter isn't exactly over, Houston does seem to like the leg they currently have in the building. And if he performs well and consistently in preseason game two, maybe the Texans opt to keep the room like that until roster cuts take place at the end of the month.
A poor outing, though, could be the difference between the Texans feeling content with Kroeger as their only punter on the roster, and the possibility that they sign another guy to compete for the roster spot.
So while it may not exactly look like a pivotal game for Kroeger and what his future looks like with Houston, it's not an overreaction to say that it certainly is.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as 4 Texans Players With Most to Gain in Second Preseason Game vs. Raiders .
