The Houston Texans are moving with a purpose, making it official with Mario Edwards Jr.
Edwards is coming back for a third season with the Texans under head coach DeMeco Ryans. He returns after the two sides parted ways earlier this offseason as he navigated some injury issues that lingered from his injury-shortened. 2025 campaign.
Now healthy, Edwards is ready to contribute once more, and Houston showed how highly they think of him by moving swiftly to get him back in the building.
Texans Bring Back Mario Edwards Jr.
GettyMario Edwards Jr. is officially returning to the Houston Texans.
“The #Texans are signing DL Mario Edwards, per source,” Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander reported on X on August 2, adding. “Edwards played 14 games for the Texans last year before his season-ending injury.”
Edwards, 32, began his career as a second-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2015, and he has had stints with four other clubs besides them and the Texans.
He had 13 total tackles and 1.5 sacks in his 14 appearances for Houston in 2025.
Edwards, who visited the Texans on Saturday, started 12 of the 13 games that he played in for the Texans in 2024, so he brings a lot of valuable experience back to what is a revamped group on the interior of the Texans’ defensive line.
Edwards was on a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Texans. He figures to return on a cheaper deal more commensurate with what his role could be with the Texans in 2026.
He will have to battle for snaps among the new-look DT group, though.
“Edwards pressure rate fell from 7.9% in 2024 to just 6.7% in 2025 with the longest time to pressure of his career at 3.74,” Sleeper’s Jacob Barzilla posted on X in reaction to the News of the veteran’s return to the Texans.
“He could provide more depth at either IDL/DE depending on where Houston plans on deploying him (he was IDL in his 2 years here.)”
For his career, Edwards has 200 combined tackles and 26.0 sacks.
Texans Need More From IDL
GettyKayden McDonald is already making a strong impression on the Houston Texans.
Ryans and the Texans have gotten tremendous production from their interior defensive line over the past three years, especially considering how few of their current options are former draft picks they selected.
As of August 2, the Texans drafted just two of their seven players listed as DTs.
They are 2025 seventh-round pick Kyonte Hamilton and 2026 second-round selection Kayden McDonald.
Hamilton did not see the field during the regular season as a rookie after landing on injured reserve. McDonald has been impressive during the offseason and early on in training camp, with coaches raving about what he has shown.
That is good news for the Texans.
They have one of the best secondaries in the NFL, and their pass rushing duo is right up there as well, while their linebacking corps is arguably underrated.
The interior defensive line has been the biggest soft spot. That is relatively speaking, of course, for a defensive that ranked first overall, second in scoring, and fourth against the run. Still, getting more production from the middle of their defensive line would be a boon for the Texans.
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