After a couple of impressive seasons on the Houston Texans' defense, veteran linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is finally getting some credit in being deemed one of the NFL's premier talents at the position-- both in the eyes of fans and via several league personnel members.
And from the perspective of one NFL executive, there's even some shades of former NBA All-Star and Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman baked into Al-Shaair's playstyle.
The comparison to Rodman for Al-Shaair stemmed from ESPN 's latest ranking of the top linebackers in the league from various NFL personnel members, who were tasked with sorting through who they felt were the best 10 guys at the position heading into the 2026 season.
As for Al-Shaair, he found his way into the sixth spot of the top linebackers in the NFL-- with some voters placing him as high as third, and just one voter deciding not to even rank the Texans' defensive captain.
"Al-Shaair is finally getting his due after seven NFL seasons," ESPN 's Jeremy Fowler writes. "he veteran linebacker wasn't a factor in previous rankings, but after embodying Houston's ultra-physical defense and landing athree-year, $54 million deal, leaguewide recognition followed. Al-Shaair appeared on all but one ballot.
But along with his ranking right outside of the top five, one NFL personnel evaluator saw some link to Rodman with Al-Shaair because of the way he's able to both mentally and physically attack the other side of the ball.
"He's the Dennis Rodman of linebackers," an NFL personnel evaluator said. "He gets in everyone's head. He can run all day and can play every down."
While Rodman might be a bit more expressive in terms of his off-the-floor approach, you can see the similarities that Al-Shaair has with the former NBA star when they're playing: a physical, hard-wired defender, who oftentimes can be described as the heart and soul of their respective teams. It's a pretty nice complement for a player to have, no matter the sport.
Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) celebrates with his teammates after an interception during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The praise for Al-Shaair didn't stop there, though. Another NFL coordinator credited Al-Shaair's explosiveness that shows up in the middle of the field that effectively makes him one of the best at his position in the league.
"He's specialized by scheme a bit, but he's explosive and good in coverage," an NFL coordinator said.
The credit for Al-Shaair is extremely warranted when looking at his most recent season of production, which wasn't quite the pinnacle of his career in terms of sheer numbers, but might've been his most impactful season since coming into the league as a UDFA in 2019.
Al-Shaair was a leader of the Texans' defense in the middle of the field who ended up making his first-ever Pro Bowl nod in year two with Houston--finishing with over 100 tackles, nine passes defended, two interceptions, and a forced fumble in the 16 games he played; only being sidelined for one game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15 due to injury.
But Al-Shaair is like the quarterback for the Texans' defense. He has a great feel and understanding of the game, makes sure everyone on that side of the ball is on the same page, and exemplifies exactly what type of player Houston loves to have on the defense with his physicality and unwavering mentality.
That's exactly why the Texans decided to offer a lucrative three-year extension to Al-Shaair's way this offseason, valued at over $50 million to keep him on the roster for the next four seasons --hoping to get the same type of impact out of him from 2025 for this coming year and for the foreseeable future.
Maybe with another Pro Bowl-level season for Al-Shaair commanding one of the best defenses in all of football, he can finally crack that top-five ranking come time for next year's rankings.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as NFL Exec Compares Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair to Dennis Rodman .
