After getting bounced in the AFC divisional round for the second consecutive year, the Houston Texans reloaded on both sides of the ball this offseason, hoping to take that next step in 2025.
The Texans added a few new weapons to the receiver core (Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel) and retooled their offensive line.
Then, on defense, Houston acquired veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, and veteran defenders Darrell Taylor and E.J. Speed to one-year deals in free agency. While the Gardner-Johnson trade received the most attention from the fanbase, the Texans might’ve gotten a steal with Speed.
The 30-year-old linebacker is coming off a good 2024 season with the Indianapolis Colts, where he had 142 combined tackles (career-high), seven tackles for loss, five pass deflections, a QB hit, and an interception.
That said, the Colts did not bring Speed back. However, the Fort Worth, TX, native is excited to be playing with the Texans and is already making bold proclamations before training camp starts later this month.
New Texans LB E.J. Speed Makes Bold Statement Ahead of Training Camp
Twitter user Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) posted a video of Speed working out a couple of days ago. Speed saw it and told Houston Stressans on Instagram, “Report the fans gotta know I’m coming to win it all this year.”
PSA from @EJ_SPEED:
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) July 1, 2025
He’s trying to put a Bull on a Ring‼️ https://t.co/vvKwN7MHiX pic.twitter.com/jg0kcrjE8I
As you can imagine, Texans fans were excited to see Speed make that message as he could be a major ex-factor on this defense in 2025. Heading into training camp, Houston’s MLB (Azeez Al-Shaair) and SLB spots (Henry To’oTo’o) are locked in.
However, the WLB spot is up for grabs as Christian Harris did not participate in any of the spring workouts after missing most of last season due to injury.
The expectation is that Harris will be ready to go for training camp. However, it isn’t guaranteed that the 24-year-old linebacker will win the job, leaving the door open for the veteran Speed.
If Speed has a strong training camp and preseason, Houston will have no choice but to make him the starter, as the Texans have the pieces to do something special in 2025.