Ranking 10 greatest Houston Texans of all time

The Texans were only created in 2002, making them the youngest team in the NFL. Plenty of superstars have suited up for the team, though. So, who are the best Texans players ever?

The Houston Texans became the newest NFL team when they were enfranchised in 2002. The Texans are just over two decades old, and they struggled mightily in their first few years in the league. The team only has five playoff wins in their young history, and they have yet to achieve championship glory.

Even so, there have been some impressive rosters in Houston, and the team has deployed some memorable and talented players. Now, Houston is one of the best up-and-coming teams in the NFL, and their future looks extremely bright. The Texans aren’t a franchise like the Green Bay Packers, a team who has had tons of NFL legends over their century plus in the NFL, but with a breakout in Houston seeming inevitable, we thought now would be a good time to rank their 10 best players in franchise history.

HM. C.J. Stroud: 2023-present, QB

Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year is just on the outside looking in of the Texans’ all-time top 10, but he deserves a shoutout as an honorable mention because he will surely make this list in no time. Stroud only has one season to his name, so he doesn’t deserve a spot in the top 10 quite yet, but his rookie year was so impressive that he earned consideration for this list.

Stroud’s rookie season was one of the best ever in Texans history. It can be argued that it was event the best year by an offensive player in franchise history. Stroud put up an MVP-caliber season in what was one of the best rookie seasons throwing the football ever.

During his first year in the league, Stroud broke the record for most passing attempts to start a career without an interception, he became only the fifth rookie ever with over 4,000 passing yards, and he became the third quarterback ever, regardless of seasons played, to lead the league in passing yards per game and touchdown/interception ratio.

Additionally, Stroud became the youngest quarterback to ever win a playoff game and he tied the rookie record for touchdown passes in a postseason game. A lot more record-breaking performances are likely to come for Stroud, and he will likely skyrocket towards the top of this list in no time.

10. DeMeco Ryans: 2006-2011, LB

DeMeco Ryans is now making a name for himself on the national scene as the Texans’ coach, but Houston fans have known him for close to two decades. Houston fortified their defense in the 2006 NFL Draft, firstly with the next player on this list, and in the second round with Ryans, a linebacker from Alabama.

Similar to how Ryans now leads the Texans, he was their defensive leader during his playing days. Ryans was a prototypical middle linebacker who made sure the team was well-coordinated while also thriving in run support. Ryans’ 479 career tackles are the most in franchise history.

9. Mario Williams: 2006-2011, DE

The Texans have picked first overall in the NFL Draft three times. Considering two of those players aren’t on this list, Houston hasn’t done as well at the top of the draft as they’d hoped. The Texans’ first-ever pick, David Carr, struggled through injuries and poor offensive line play at the beginning of Houston’s existence, which left him with a bust label. The team’s most recent first-overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney, was a decent player at the defensive end position for the team, but he didn’t live up to expectations.

The number one pick Houston took in between those two was another defensive end. Mario Williams never became a megastar, but he was the best of Houston’s top draft picks, and he did have a productive career with the Texans. Of Williams’ 97.5 career sacks, 53 of them came in Houston. That ranks third in franchise history.

Williams 14 sack season in 2007 was not only one of the best defensive seasons in franchise history, but it was a precursor to back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons. Before Williams arrived in Houston, the Texans were coming off of a two-win season. By the time he left the team, he helped them reach the playoffs for the first time.

8. Deshaun Watson: 2017-2021, QB

The end of Deshaun Watson’s tenure with the Texans didn’t end pretty, but it did start out great. The quarterback missed the entire 2021 season after requesting a trade, and reports emerged of disturbing sexual assault allegations during his final season with the team before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns.

Long before Watson’s career with the Texans was clouded by these unfortunate incidents, the former first round pick looked like he was going to go down as one of the two or three best Texans players ever, if not the very best. Watson threw for 14,539 yards as a Texan, including two seasons where he was above 4,000 yards and one season where he led the league in passing yards.

Watson became a three-time Pro Bowler, and after his breakout 2020 season, it looked like he was going to become one of the brightest stars in the league. It didn’t work out that way, and Watson’s career has been a disaster ever since. He will surely never play another game for the Texans now, but the four years he suited up for the team were impressive.

7. Kareem Jackson: 2010-2018/2023, DB

Although Kareem Jackson had some good years as a Denver Broncos safety, the majority of his career was spent with the Texans as a cornerback. Regardless of what position he played, Jackson knew how to lay the wood. He was one of the hardest hitters in the NFL, and although it sometimes drew penalty markers, he always was able to set the tone.

Players who rack up lots of tackles usually play the linebacker or safety positions. Even though Jackson spent most of his time in Houston as a cornerback, he was still able to collect the second most tackles in franchise history (469). Jackson also performed in coverage, though, as his 16 interceptions are also the second most in franchise history.

Jackson was always well-respected in the locker room. He was willing to run through a brick wall for his teammates, and that motivated his squad to perform at their best.

6. Matt Schaub: 2007-2013, QB

Matt Schaub was pretty league average to just above average compared to the other quarterbacks around the NFL, but his importance to the Texans was monumental. The quarterback played 90 games for the Texans at the most important position in the sport. That was more than any other player at his position throughout the franchise’s history.

Schaub took over for David Carr and ushered in a new era of Texans football. He went on to throw for 23,221 yards and 124 touchdowns, both of which are franchise records.

While Schaub wasn’t usually considered an elite quarterback, he did make two Pro Bowls, and he even led the NFL in passing yards in 2009. The Texans legend should be remembered much more for the good parts of his Houston tenure than the end of his stint with the team, which ended with pick-sixes in four consecutive games in his final season with the team.

5. Duane Brown: 2008-2017, OT

Offensive line issues plagued the Texans in their early days, and an inability to protect the quarterback was a big reason David Carr struggled in Houston. Duane Brown was the offensive tackle that helped turn the tide in that regard.

Brown was the blindside protector for Matt Schaub, and the offensive tackle’s protection of the quarterback helped Schaub last longer as Houston’s signal-caller than any other player before or after. Brown is one of six Texans players with at least four Pro Bowl appearance in Houston.

4. Arian Foster: 2009-2015, RB

The most consistent era of success for the Texans came when they had Arian Foster in the backfield. Foster was tailor made for Gary Kubiak’s zone-blocking system, and it led to big game after big game. Foster ended up making four Pro Bowls with the Texans, and he was even First Team All-Pro in 2010.

Foster’s change of pace and sharp cutting ability made him one of the premier running backs during a time there were plenty of star ball carriers. His 6,472 yards and 52 touchdowns on the ground are over double the second best running back in franchise history, and injuries are the only thing that stopped him from challenging for one of the top three spots on this list.

3. DeAndre Hopkins: 2013-2019, WR

DeAndre Hopkins took the mantle as an elite pass-catcher from the next player on this list and ran with it. Hopkins route running was elite, and he was always a highlight waiting to happen because of his insane catch radius and sticky hands.

The receiver never had consistency at the quarterback position. Ten different quarterbacks threw a touchdown to Hopkins while he was in Houston, but it didn’t matter. Hopkins was going to thrive regardless of who was throwing him the football.

He racked up 632 receptions, 8,602 receiving yards, and 54 receiving touchdowns with the Texans, and he likely would have broken a number of career records if the team hade not traded him in his prime (for an underwhelming return).

2. Andre Johnson: 2003-2014, WR

In their early existence, the X receiver spot has consistently been a strong point for the Texans. Andre Johnson was the team’s first superstar, as they drafted him third overall a year after they were established as a franchise. Johnson had a career that was not just the best of any Texans receiver ever, but he went down as one of the best receivers in league history.

Johnson made seven Pro Bowls during his time in Houston, the most in franchise history. He also holds franchise records in receiving touchdowns (64), receiving yards (13,597), and receptions (1,012), the latter two of which rank 11th in NFL history. He was a big-body receiver who could go up and catch the 50-50 balls.

His vertical leap, combined with his 6-foot-2 frame, made him a nightmare matchup for opposing cornerbacks. For years, Houston’s game plan was to give Johnson the ball and see if anyone could stop him, and it usually worked. Johnson’s magnificent career with the team led to him being the first player they inducted into their Ring of Honor.

1. J.J. Watt: 2011-2020, DE

J.J. Watt is not only the best player in the Texans history, but he is one of the best players in league history. Even though Houston has a still relatively young organization, it may be a long time before anyone surpasses Watt on the list of top 10 best Texans players ever. As a Texan, Watt sacked the quarterback 101 times, which is an impressive feat for someone who was often rushing from the defensive interior.

Of course, Watt primarily played the defensive end, though, so his versatility was extremely valued by Houston. Whether he was lining up on the inside or the outside, no one could block Watt. Even if you were able to prevent him from getting past the line of scrimmage, it usually took double or triple teams to do so, and Watt could always fall back on his ability to swat balls at the line of scrimmage. Watt did that better than anyone else in league history.

Watt was so unstoppable on defense that he won the Defensive Player of the Year award three times. He is only one of three players to win the most prestigious individual award for defensive players three times.

Watt’s versatility wasn’t only evident on the defensive end, either. Although he wasn’t a full two-way player, he became the rare player in the modern era who did suit up on both sides of the ball. The Texans would use Watt as an offensive weapon. He even added three receiving touchdowns to his impressive resume in 2014.

Watt did suffer through a number of injuries during the back half of his career, but Houston’s decision to let him walk in free was still highly controversial. Even so, Watt is already a part of the Texans Ring of Fame, and he will be a first-ballot NFL Hall of Famer once he is eligible to be inducted.