The Houston Texans' rookie minicamp wrapped up almost two weeks ago now, and OTAs will kick off on May 28. That means the team's focus shifts from just looking at rookie and fringe roster players to considering the entire depth chart, veterans included.
Apparently, rookie camp wasn't long enough, though, because the Texans made a new undrafted free agent signing on Tuesday. It was also the exact kind of UDFA addition that could actually have implications on the team's depth chart for 2025, too.
Texans Sign UDFA Keydrain Calligan
The Texans have signed former Southeastern DB Keydrain Calligan to an undrafted free agent contract ahead of OTAs. Calligan played both cornerback and safety at Southeastern, earning all-conference honors in 2024.
While playing in the Southland Conference will always make it an uphill battle to land on an NFL roster, Calligan had pre-draft meetings with 15 teams, and reportedly received high marks from scouts. It's unusual that he remained unsigned through the rookie minicamp, but the Texans were smart to jump on this opportunity. A UDFA signed at the end of May is never expected to make a real splash, but Calligan could be an exception to the rule.
A DB who is athletic and has positional versatility is exactly the kind of player that can offer a lot of value at the end of the bench. He can fill in as a depth piece at safety or corner, and he's also likely to be able to contribute on special teams.
Houston Needs Calligan to Be "Special"
It's easy to consider "he can contribute on special teams" as a bit of a throwaway evaluation, or simply a "nice to have" piece of a player's value. But Houston is going to need extra bodies on special teams this year.
Del'Shawn Phillips departed in free agency, and he led the team in special-teams snaps in 2024. Second in special teams snaps was Kris Boyd, who also departed in free agency. Neville Hewitt was fourth, and he remains unsigned with no indications the Texans will bring him back.
Altogether, the Texans have lost six different players who were on the field for at least 25% of their special teams snaps in 2024. Considering the team ranked a below-average 18th in PFF's special teams grade, that's probably not a coincidence.
Calligan being invited to OTAs, where he can be given a shot to prove himself while mixing in with the remaining veterans on those units, is a good sign that the team and special teams coordinator Frank Ross may expect him to crack the roster.
Defensive Upside
Calligan's ability to contribute on defense is the real question mark. His floor is certainly low — plenty of players look great in the FCS without being able to translate that to the pros. But a raw prospect with athleticism and versatility is worth rolling the dice on.
The Texans' secondary is strong enough (especially with the addition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson) that not everyone on the depth chart needs to be able to step in and make an immediate impact. There's some room to be patient with younger players to see if they can blossom into something special.
That becomes even easier when it's a player who can work at both safety and cornerback — suddenly you're getting depth at two different positions, and the option remains to have Calligan specialize at whichever position the team thinks he shows more promise (or feels like they have more of a need).
Is Calligan going to be the deciding factor that makes or breaks the Texans' 2025-26 season? Obviously not. But under-the-radar moves like this add up. Great teams consistently get surprising levels of production from late-round and undrafted players, and Calligan profiles perfectly as that kind of difference-maker.