Overview
- General manager Nick Caserio confirmed Tuesday that Houston placed veteran Braden Smith and rookie Sam Hagen on injured reserve, which requires each to miss at least the first four games.
- Smith suffered a foot injury during joint practices in Charlotte and the team expects a roughly four- to six-week recovery that will delay his planned role at right tackle.
- With Smith sidelined, veteran Trent Brown is positioned to start at right tackle for the early portion of the season and take the bulk of first-team reps.
- The Texans re-signed tight ends Brevin Jordan and Dominique Robinson to create roster space and said they treat depth as larger than the 53-man list when managing short-term injuries.
- Smith’s recent history of missed games and offseason surgery raises durability questions that could affect Houston’s in-season IR activations and future roster choices if availability problems continue.