The Houston Texans completed their preseason slate on Saturday with a 26-7 win over the Detroit Lions. With the preseason in the books, the Texans will now turn their attention towards the regular season.
There’s a lot of intrigue and excitement around this Texans team, as many believe they have the pieces to win the division again and make a deeper playoff run. A lot of that hinges on the success of Houston’s offensive line, which was horrendous last season in protecting C.J. Stroud.
At the same time, the Texans should have one of the better defensive units in the league this upcoming season, as they have talent at all three levels.
In the offseason, Houston made a sneaky move to bolster their linebacker unit, signing veteran E.J. Speed to a one-year deal. The Texans didn’t exactly need Speed, since they already have Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o. And we also can’t forget Christian Harris, who is looking to bounce back after a rough 2023 season.
However, anytime you can add a veteran linebacker who has had back-to-back 100-tackle seasons, you can’t pass that up.
E.J. Speed Emerges as a Potential Playmaker Following Preseason
The 30-year-old linebacker got his Texans’ tenure off to a great start in the team’s preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
The 6-foot-4, 227-pound defender had a ridiculous overall defensive grade at 92.1, per Pro Football Focus. Speed was all over the field as he recorded two tackles, a pass breakup, and two run stops across 19 defensive snaps.
The veteran linebacker also had a stellar 90.7 coverage grade. The Texans would love to keep seeing improvements from Speed, who had a 79.0 completion percentage allowed on targets and a 95.8 passer rating allowed when targeted.
In the Texans’ second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, Speed didn’t get the start. However, he still played 19 defensive and eight special teams snaps, recording three combined tackles.
EJ Speed shooting gaps https://t.co/LFPIofHmfu pic.twitter.com/lO92oF6ubA
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) August 18, 2025
Speed showed off his athleticism against Carolina, as he shot the gap and was able to bring down the ball carrier before he could get going.
Given the talent that Houston has at the linebacker spot, Speed won’t be a starter in Week 1, but we should expect them to get him on the field often. His athleticism and physicality at the linebacker spot are just some of the traits that head coach DeMeco Ryans likes.
If he comes close to what he did his last two years with the Colts, Speed will help this Texans team go to another level, and he’ll cash out with a potential sizable payday.