0-4. There's no way to slice this to make it sound better: 0-4 teams don't make the playoffs in the NFL. The last time it happened was 1992 with the San Diego Chargers, which also happens to be the only time it's happened. As talented as this Houston Texans team is, it's almost certainly not about to win 11 of its final 13 games, which is basically what would need to happen to be sure this team makes the playoffs. Maybe winning 10 of 13 would be enough, but that's also way too optimistic.
And if Houston's not going to be a playoff team, why not start to make some moves for the future? There are a number of players who the team could move for draft capital, which would ultimately help Houston prepare for whatever its post-2026 future looks like.
QB Davis Mills
On Wednesday, the Texans signed quarterback Mark Gronowski to the team's 53-man roster, a move that seems...weird, right? Gronowski isn't some game-changing backup quarterback, so adding him almost feels like a precursor to something. The question is just what it's a precursor to. There have been some rumors of teams approaching the Texans about C.J. Stroud, but Houston should only be trading him if there is a zero percent chance he signs an extension in Houston. We haven't heard anything of that sort yet, so I doubt a Stroud trade is in the works.
But what about backup quarterback Davis Mills? He's in the final year of his contract and in 2025, he went 3-0 as a starter when Stroud was sidelined. Mills isn't an elite backup, but in the right situation, he can keep a team afloat. Unfortunately for the 0-4 Texans, this is no longer the right situation for Mills, so if he's going to explore free agency anyway at the end of this season, why not see if a team that could use an upgrade at the backup role has any interest in him?
Houston is screwed if Stroud goes down anyway. Last year, the elite defense helped Mills out in those starts, but that defense has taken a major step back. Getting a draft pick back for Mills and letting Gronowski lead the tank if Stroud gets hurt is the better move here for Houston's long-term health.
EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
Houston brought Jadeveon Clowney back to town this offseason, reuniting him with the franchise that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2014. At the time, it looked like the rich getting richer, as the Texans added a guy with 8.5 sacks last season to what appeared, on paper, to be the NFL's best defense. Reality hasn't really meshed with expectations, though, as Houston's defense is struggling.
But Clowney himself has been fine. He missed two games with a bone bruise, but in the two games he has played, he's already recorded 1.5 sacks, despite playing just 36.8 percent of Houston's defensive snaps in those two games. He's been exactly what Houston signed him to be: a situational pass rusher. The problem is that the defense as a whole has been so bad that there's really no reason to hold on to a situational pass rusher on a one-year deal.
As soon as Houston accepts that the postseason is out of reach, it needs to be on the phones looking for a landing spot for Clowney. He came back to Houston to potentially win a ring with the team that first drafted him. With that no longer in the cards, do the right thing and trade him to a contender.
OT Trent Brown
The Houston Texans offensive line was a disaster in 2025, but veteran Trent Brown was enough of a bright spot that he earned a second season with the team. Brown has played every snap for Houston in 2026, though he ranks just 60th among tackles this season in PFF grade, so things might not be going quite as well so far.
As Houston pivots to the future, the team has to consider if a 33-year-old Brown is worth bringing back in 2027. His current level of play has slipped enough from last season that the answer to that seems to be trending toward "no." There's also the fact that Braden Smith is now back at practice. Houston signed Smith this offseason after he spent the first eight seasons of his career with AFC South rivals Indianapolis. Once Smith is cleared to play, he could slide in at right tackle, and since he's on a two-year deal, the Texans will want to know what they have in him and if they can go into 2027 with him as the starting right tackle.
Are you going to get a ton of value back for Brown? No. Is trading him going to make life more difficult for Stroud? Maybe! It gives you no viable backup option if Smith doesn't work out, because we already know Houston can't trust Blake Fisher. But either Smith or someone not currently on the roster will be the right tackle in 2027, so why hold on to Brown if this is a lost season?
S M.J. Stewart
One can make a strong argument that Reed Blankenship has been the most disappointing free agent addition in the league this season. Personally, I'm still kicking myself for not mentioning him when I wrote about the Texans who most deserve blame for the team's early struggles. I was too hyper-focused on cornerback Kamari Lassiter's struggles to highlight other defensive backs who've given Houston issues.
I bring Blankenship up here because in a season where Houston was still a contender, the team would be getting a reinforcement back soon who could help negate Blankenship's issues by taking some of his snaps away: M.J. Stewart. The veteran safety has spent the past five seasons in Houston and while injuries have led to him missing significant time in three of those (if you include 2026), he's been a solid contributor when he's on the field.
But Stewart is in the final season of his current deal, and he's 31 years old, so it's unlikely that he has much time left as a member of this franchise. He's the ideal candidate to trade to a contending team that needs additional help on the defensive back end.
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