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The Houston Texans are right on the cusp of starting off this year's training camp, as veterans and rookies will both be back in the facility and on the practice field officially starting on July 29th.
And as the Texans' training camp unravels, it could mark the start of when veterans around the roster begin to lose grip of their current starting spots. Whether that be due to new rookies coming in to take their place, or another reason, each situation is a little bit different than the next.
Let's take a look at three Texans veterans who could be on the brink of losing their starting spots if they stumble through the next few weeks of training camp:
Jake Andrews, C
Last season, the Texans entrusted Jake Andrews to take control of their starting center spot for all 17 games of the regular season, along with both of their playoff games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots.
And while he had some hiccups in the postseason, particularly when it came to snapping the ball in their Wild Card outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, for most of the season, Andrews was a serviceable piece of the offensive line.
But Andrews has seen some major competition joining the fold this offseason that could threaten that status in 2026––primarily the Texans' first-round pick of Keylan Rutledge, who appears to be the front-runner to claim that spot as Houston's starting center, even when factoring in the position switch he'll have to undergo from guard to center.
Andrews could even have his place on the 53-man roster threatened entirely, depending on how slim the Texans want to get their offensive line room down to. Houston does love having Andrews around as a worthwhile starting center option, and could very well keep him as their primary backup to Rutledge as security. But his place is far from guaranteed.
Braden Smith, RT
The Texans did just bring Braden Smith into the equation earlier this offseason as their big free agent addition on the offensive line, who by most accounts, is projected to be Houston's starting right tackle from the jump.
And the reasons why makes sense: he's been a steady starter during his time with the Indianapolis Colts, he got paid $20 million on his Texans contract for a reason, and if healthy, he's certainly the favorite to take ahold of that role.
But Houston also has another reliable veteran behind him in Trent Brown; someone who started at right tackle for seven regular-season games and a playoff game in 2025, was a part of an undefeated 8-0 stretch during that time on the right side.
Smith is getting older, getting paid less, and might not be as consistent as someone like Smith has proven to be year after year. But Brown does have proven chemistry and success with this offense. So calling this right tackle battle locked up in Smith's hands would be a little shortsighted.
Tommy Togiai, DT2
After starting off last season as a practice squad signee to then turn into a reliable weekly starter on the Texans' elite defensive line, it was about as successful of a season as you could expect out of Tommy Togiai.
He finished 2025 with nearly 60 combined tackles, six TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and a surprising four passes defended. Togiai's also one of three players on the Texans defense to have returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown; the other two being Will Anderson and Sheldon Rankins.
So to see Togiai back in his same role as the Texans' DT2 starting off 2026 would be far from surprising. If anything, he's earned that spot. But Houston also did make a big statement in trying to improve their defensive line even further by adding Kayden McDonald into this defensive tackle room with their 36th pick in the draft.
If McDonald can catch on as someone that can be a quick study and help take the Texans' run defense to the next level, Togiai might find himself a bit further down the depth chart on the defensive interior because of it. But based on the way he ended the second half of last season, he'll be tough to uproot from his current placement on this defense.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as Texans Veterans Who Could Lose Their Starting Jobs at Training Camp.
