The Houston Texans will close the book on their 2025 preseason run when they visit Ford Field to face the Detroit Lions in Saturday afternoon's finale. It's the final opportunity for Houston veterans and rookies alike to prove themselves to head coach DeMeco Ryans, and a strong performance against one of the NFL's most well-coached teams could improve their 53-man roster outlook.
Even though the Texans' initial 2025 roster won't be finalized until after Tuesday's deadline, certain players have already played themselves out of the team's plans. That includes a recent addition who won't even get to play one game in a Houston jersey.
Texans CB Arthur Maulet Won't Survive Roster Cuts
The Texans were hit with a curveball when cornerback Ronald Darby retired in June shortly after signing with the team in free agency. Houston has one of the best secondaries in the NFL, but more depth is never a bad thing, which is why general manager Nick Caserio signed veteran CB Arthur Maulet last month.
A 32-year-old pass disruptor with 16 defended passes and four interceptions in 85 career games (23 starts), the Texans had some high hopes for Maulet. Unfortunately, much of that optimism has been washed away now that the preseason is almost over.
In his first two exhibition games, Maulet has recorded only two tackles while embarrassingly missing another pair of attempts. He's also allowed three receptions on five targets for 24 receiving yards while mostly playing in the slot, leading to putrid Pro Football Focus grades of 29.3 and 28.7 for coverage and tackling, respectively.
Considering how Maulet played 20 defensive snaps in each of those preseason contests, it's safe to say the Texans' coaching staff doesn't have much faith in him. Otherwise, his snap count would be shrinking as the exhibition schedule continues, which isn't the case.
With fellow slot defenders Jalen Pitre and Myles Bryant easily outperforming him this summer, it's clear that Maulet has a tall hill to climb. If he struggles and continues to be taken advantage of by opposing wideouts, all signs point to the Texans cutting the former Memphis Tiger before next week's deadline is over.