With their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round, the Houston Texans are set to face the New England Patriots in the next round of the playoffs. Teams in the playoffs can’t sign free agents from non-playoff teams until the end of the league year in March, but they can sign practice squad players who didn’t sign new contracts.
Safety Brandon Hill spent three years with the Texans before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders‘ practice squad toward the end of the 2025 season. He didn’t get a chance to play for the Raiders, and they decided against giving him a Reserve/Future contract once the year ended.
That has paved the way for him to return to Houston. The Texans announced that they have signed Hill back to the practice squad.
It remains to be seen if he’ll get a chance to play in the playoffs. He has only played two career games and hasn’t played since 2023. Hill was originally a seventh-round pick of the Texans in 2023. They’ve liked him enough to keep him in the building, but haven’t given him many chances to play. The decision to sign him to the practice squad now likely has more to do with them wanting to bring him back in the offseason and less about any plans to have him play against the Patriots.
Raiders to Address OL
As the Raiders gear up for free agency and the draft, there are plenty of needs all over the roster. The team owns the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but that will likely be used on a quarterback.
The second biggest priority could be upgrading the offensive line. Geno Smith was sacked 55 times this season, which was tied for the most in the NFL. General manager John Spytek acknowledged that the offensive line will be addressed in the offseason.
“Anybody that can help bolster that offensive line and do the job required will be considered,” Spytek told reporters during a recent press conference. “We have a lot of cap space; we’ve got some elite draft picks, and maybe adding a veteran presence in there or two would be helpful, but not necessarily an absolute necessity.”
Raiders Want to Be ‘Meticulous’ With Rebuild
The Raiders have been avoiding rebuilding the roster for the last few seasons. Though the talent has been lacking, they’ve felt like they’ve had enough to compete.
That hasn’t been the case, and after going 3-14, it’s time to accept that major changes need to be made. Spytek was able to retain his job as general manager and gave some insight into how they plan to build.
“We want a meticulous build that will set us up for years of success in the future, and we have a great opportunity to do that with everything that we have in front of us right now,” Spytek said.
It could take years for Spytek’s vision to come to fruition, but he might not even be given that long. That said, nailing the quarterback and head coach could lead to a much quicker turnaround than anybody is expecting.
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