Texans 53-man roster projection: Can this squad fast-track the team's rebuild?

The Texans aren't expected to be a contender this season, but they should be more competitive in 2023 under new coach DeMeco Ryans. They drafted their hopeful quarterback of the future, No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud, and poured resources into a defensive front that was abysmal against the run last season. 

So what will their initial roster look like? Here's a crack at Houston's 53, which must be set by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday: 

Quarterback (2): C.J. Stroud, Davis Mills

Even if Ryans won't say it, it's clear that Stroud is QB1 entering the season. The former Ohio State star has been taking all the first-team reps in practice for more than two weeks now, and he's coming off an encouraging showing in the Texans' preseason game against the Dolphins last Saturday, where he threw with confidence, decisiveness and the ball placement he had in college. 

With 26 career NFL starts, Mills is a more than able backup who can step up in the case of an injury or struggles for Stroud.  

[Arthur: Texans QB C.J. Stroud showed football IQ from the start: 'He likes the chess match']

Running back (4): Dameon Pierce, Devin Singletary, Mike Boone, Dare Ogunbowale

Pierce will be the engine of the Texans' offense once again, and the hope is that he can put together a full season in Year 2. He missed four games as a rookie in 2022, but still had 220 carries for 939 yards and four touchdowns. 

As the No. 2 option, Singletary is a significant upgrade over the backups Houston had last season, and a complementary piece to Pierce's bruising style. Last season with the Bills, Singletary had 1,099 scrimmage yards — 819 rushing, 280 receiving. 

The Texans signed Boone to a two-year, $3.1 million deal, including $300,000 guaranteed, so he should be the No. 3 back and a core special teamer. 

Wide receiver (6): Nico Collins, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, Tank Dell, John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson

This is a middle-of-the-road group on paper, but Collins putting together a full season would go a long way toward maximizing the production of this room. The former third-round pick, Houston's leading returning receiver, was on a 17-game pace of more than 800 receiving yards in 2022. But Collins missed seven games due to injury, catching 37 passes for 481 yards and two touchdowns in 10 appearances. 

The 31-year-old Woods is a dependable veteran for Stroud. Now that he's two years removed from a torn ACL, Woods should be better than he was last year with the Titans (53 catches, 527 yards, two touchdowns). 

The twitchy Dell, a third-round rookie, has starred in training camp and the preseason. It wouldn't be surprising to see him become one of Houston's top receivers. 

Tight end (4): Dalton Schultz, Teagan Quitoriano, Andrew Beck, Dalton Keene

Injured reserve (1): Brevin Jordan 

Schultz, one of the best tight ends in the NFL, offers a strong security blanket for Stroud. The former Dallas Cowboy should also reap rewards from offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik's West Coast-based scheme, which prominently features tight ends. It's possible that Schultz will be the Texans' receptions leader. 

Beck, who in the offseason signed a two-year, $6.25 million deal with $4 million guaranteed at signing, can double as a tight end and be a core special teamer. 

Jordan has missed most of the summer with a hamstring injury, so he could begin the year on IR.

Offensive line (10): Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green, Juice Scruggs, Shaq Mason, Tytus Howard, George Fant, Josh Jones, Michael Deiter, Jarrett Patterson, Jimmy Morrissey

Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (1): Charlie Heck 

The Texans have made it a priority to bolster their offensive line for Stroud and Pierce, reinforced by the trade Friday for offensive tackle Josh Jones, who started 21 games for Arizona the past two seasons. 

In the offseason, Houston extended Tunsil and Howard, and traded for and extended Mason. Green (2022 first-round pick) and Scruggs (2023 second round) are high draft picks.  

Defensive line: (9) Will Anderson Jr., Maliek Collins, Sheldon Rankins, Jonathan Greenard, Hassan Ridgeway, Dylan Horton, Jerry Hughes, Roy Lopez, Jacob Martin

Houston produced its worst run defense in franchise history last season, but it should be significantly improved with Anderson — the No. 3 overall pick — and the defensive tackle additions of Rankins, Ridgeway and Horton, a fourth-round rookie. 

Greenard also returns healthy after missing nine games last season due to injury. He led the Texans with eight sacks in 2021. 

Linebacker (6): Christian Harris, Denzel Perryman, Blake Cashman, Christian Kirksey, Henry To'oTo'o, Cory Littleton

Kirksey, who has started 29 games for the Texans the past two seasons, could be a trade candidate as we head toward the cut-down deadline. Houston has young linebackers it needs to develop, and his cap hit for the upcoming season is $6.25 million. He has no guaranteed salary left on his contract, which expires after this season.  

Secondary (9): Derek Stingley Jr., Jalen Pitre, Jimmie Ward, Steven Nelson, Desmond King II, Shaquill Griffin, Tavierre Thomas, M.J. Stewart, Eric Murray 

If Stingley can stay healthy — the 2022 No. 3 overall pick missed eight games last year due to injury — the Texans could have one of the elite secondaries in the NFL. Houston last season ranked first with just 15 passing touchdowns allowed and tied for fifth with an 82.7 passer rating allowed when targeted, according to Next Gen Stats. 

Pitre, a 2022 second-round pick out of Baylor, figures to take the next step to becoming a Pro Bowler. He was the only player last season to post at least 100 total tackles and five interceptions. He was also the first rookie to ever register at least 140 tackles and five interceptions. 

Special teams (3): Ka'imi Fairbairn (PK), Jon Weeks (LS), Ty Zentner (P) 

Injured reserve (1): Cam Johnston (P)

With Johnston reportedly dealing with a pulled calf muscle, the Texans on Friday signed Zentner, an undrafted rookie from Kansas State released by the Eagles last week. 

It's possible that Johnston, a five-year NFL veteran entering his third season with the Texans, could begin the season on IR, which would mean he'd have to miss the first four weeks of the regular season.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.