The Houston Texans will be down a player on their defensive line for the 2026 season following Monday's training camp practice.
According to KPRC2 's Aaron Wilson , Texans defensive end Dylan Horton is feared to have suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.
Horton was set to enter his fourth season with the Texans in 2026 and had been fighting to make it onto Houston's 53-man roster as a depth piece within their defensive end room.
However, in a practice before the Texans' third preseason game of the year against the Carolina Panthers , Horton would go down with a torn Achilles, thus ending his 2026 campaign and changing the outlook on Houston's defensive line along with it.
Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Dylan Horton arrives for the team's minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After three seasons in Houston, Horton was shaping up to have a bit of an increased role for the Texans' defense in 2026.
While he was battling to be the fourth defensive end on the depth chart after Houston signed Jadeveon Clowney earlier in training camp , Horton was only active in 25% of in his games played in 2025.
If he won out to be DE4, he had a chance to see that number, and his individual stats would take a step forward--which comes even more important in a contract year.
Last season with the Texans, Horton played in 16 games to log 26 total tackles and 0.5 sacks.
Now, the 2023 fourth-round pick will have to wait until 2027 to take his next snap, which may or may not be with the Texans, and take on the long road of recovering from a torn Achilles.
Jul 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Dominique Robinson (97) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With Horton now out of the picture, the Texans' defensive line depth now looks a bit more interesting than it did this time last week. And this has been a group that's already seen a fair share of questions throughout training camp.
Besides Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter , and Jadeveon Clowney at the top, Houston is now down to free agent signings Dominique Robinson --who is currently hurt heading into game three of the preseason, Salomon Byrd, Ali Gaye , and Sebastian Harsh.
It's a group that has some promise, but not a ton of proven production. All four of them have a combined 4.5 sacks throughout their careers, with 3.5 of those coming from Robinson during his four years with the Chicago Bears .
As to who will be the best bet to take that DE4 role from Horton, Robinson feels like the most likely to do so . However, his recent injury could add even more uncertainty to the position creeping closer to the regular season, and perhaps more importantly, this weekend's 53-man cutdown.
Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio watches during practice before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With the look of Houston's defensive line depth, it feels likely for the front office to approach the position with an addition via free agency, or a trade if they're very interested in adding another defensive end.
The Texans have proven multiple times leading up to this season that, if they have a certain need on the roster, and there's talent ready to be acquired on the market, they're going to make the move to do just that.
Houston needs another edge rusher? Jadeveon Clowney is signed to a one-year deal. They need another receiver after Jayden Higgins suffers a season-ending injury? The front office goes out to trade for Kayshon Boutte from the New England Patriots .
The Texans have been continuously proactive in patching up their necessary holes, and doing whatever it takes to best position this roster to be a Super Bowl-caliber group by the time the season ends.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as What Dylan Horton's Season-Ending Injury Means for Texans .
