Justin Watson #84 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on against the Las Vegas Raiders. Getty
C.J. Stroud could be playing for his Houston Texans future in 2026. Getty
Head coach DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans will almost certainly not enter the regular season with 12 wide receivers, like they currently have on the roster, and three-time Super Bowl champion Justin Watson could be among those left out.
Watson is heading into his second season with the Texans, and he is coming off an injury-shortened campaign in 2025.
That lack of exposure may have put him behind the eight ball as training camp begins.
GettyJustin Watson has been projected as one of the Houston Texans' upcoming roster cuts.
The Texans signed Watson to a two-year, $5 million contract in free agency during the 2025 offseason. A former fifth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , he won a Super Bowl with them in 2020 and two more with the Kansas City Chiefs . He has $11 million in career earnings.
Watson tallied three receptions for 30 yards for the Texans in 2025, playing in only three games during the regular season.
He did not catch a pass during his lone playoff appearance.
ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime projected the Texans' 53-man roster in an article on July 23. It included two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins and former draft picks Jayden Higgins , Jaylin Noel , Lewis Bond , Tank Dell , and Xavier Hutchinson . It did not include Watson.
Watson, who turned 30 in April, has a 90-1,352-9 line for his career . He has never topped 27 catches, 460 yards, or 3 TDs in any single season, setting each mark as a high in 2023.
That was the year he won the second of his two championships with the Chiefs.
Watson is not the only receiver that Bien-Aime projected the Texans would move on from, but he is the most experienced. Collins was a third-round pick in 2021. The next most experienced receivers on the Texans' roster are Dell and Hutchinson.
Dell missed the entire 2025 season due to a knee injury that he suffered in 2024. Hutchinson stepped up last season, but he has a 55-635-3 career line .
GettyC.J. Stroud could be playing for his Houston Texans future in 2026.
With or without Watson, the Texans' offense will be under the microscope this coming season, starting with training camp. Bien-Aime noted to keep an eye on Higgins, offensive coordinator Nick Caley , quarterback C.J. Stroud , and the Texans' offensive line battles.
The Texans made changes at every position group except for quarterback this offseason.
If they struggle again, quarterback could be next, putting additional emphasis on the Texans' offseason decisions. They have been framed as ensuring Stroud has the best supporting cast possible.
However, the Texans have also set the stage for a soft landing spot for a potential replacement if Stroud continues to regress.
He is signed through the 2027 season, when he will be on his fifth-year option.
The two sides were far apart as of June, per Bien-Aime . And while Watson was not a major contributor for the Texans last year, cutting ties and relying on a group that lacks experience and still has injury concerns also seems risky.
The Texans could try to sneak Watson onto their practice squad, but the veteran is just as likely to latch on somewhere else in free agency if he makes it there.
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