The Houston Texans are going to part with Solomon Byrd.
Byrd injured his ankle during the Texans' preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. That was after leaving the game earlier due to a separate issue. However, Byrd's injury is not considered serious, and could ultimately work in the Texans' favor.
"#Texans defensive end Solomon Byrd suffered high ankle sprain, expected to be waived-injured, would revert to injured reserve, per a league source," KPRC 2's Aaron Wilson reported on X on August 29. "Played outstanding in the preseason, has made a lot of strides as a player."
Byrd had 5 total tackles and 4 hurries during the Texans' exhibition slate. He could still be in their plans for the 2026 season.
In reaction, Garrett Williams (Houston Stressans) posted his "hunch" that "Byrd's ankle sprain wasn't that bad late." He also added the "injury could end up being a blessing in disguise for both parties," noting that at the injury could allow the Texans to sneak him through waivers.
If he clears waivers, they could stash him on injured reserve rather than the alternative.
That would require releasing him with an injury settlement. In that, case he would need to add three weeks to whatever length of time they agreed upon in the settlement before re-signing.
"As it pertains to DE4, I also have a hunch Dominique Robinson is fine and has hopefully just been dealing with a minor injury," Williams added. "He's seemingly been their guy at DE4 throughout camp (just my guess).
"Guess we'll find out soon."
The issue the Texans face is whether Byrd is worth the efforts to retain him. He has so far lived up to his pre-draft billing from NFL .com's Lance Zierlein.
"An edge defender with a fairly productive run at both Wyoming and USC, Byrd fails to stand out physically or athletically on tape. He plays with solid aggression and play strength but finds himself entangled with blockers more than he should," Zierlein wrote before the 204 draft.
"Can be creative when attacking tackles at the top of the rush, but he struggled to get much done when tasked with taking on some of the more talented opponents on the schedule. Byrd possesses certain play features that are worthy of consideration, but he might not have enough above-average qualities to make much of a mark in the league."
The Texans' defensive end group is led by Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
However, their depth has been decimated. Dylan Horton is out for the season and Jadeveon Clowney has also missed time in training camp.
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