NFL fans are generally familiar with the Houston Texans, especially after they drafted quarterback CJ Stroud in 2023 and then made the playoffs each of the past two seasons.
But the only constant in the NFL is change. The Texans have a number of new faces that are worth knowing ahead of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
These are four under the radar players for Houston to know ahead of time:
1 – Kamari Lassiter, CB
Derek Stingley is becoming a household name after being a top draft pick and earning a top of the market contract extension at corner. Lassiter isn’t far behind his running mate. These two are one of the most study duos in all the NFL, though they rarely get discussed as such.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF) defensive grade, Stingley was the fifth-highest rated corner that played at least 600 snaps. Lassiter ranked at 18th. The Philadelphia Eagles with 2024 rookies Cooper DeJean (#1) and Quinyon Mitchell (#8) were the only other team to have two top-2o corners.
Similar to DeJean and Mitchell, Lassiter was a rookie last season. It’s rare for corners to hit the ground running at the professional level, though that speaks to the strength of last year’s draft class.
One knock on Lassiter is that he’s not a very sure-handed tackler given his 6-0, 180lbs. frame. He missed 11 tackles last season (15.7% of his total attempts. This ranked in the bottom 25 of corners according to PFF.
2 – Jayden Higgins, WR
Houston is likely to be without veteran receiver Christian Kirk on Sunday. Even so, Higgins was listed as a starter on the team’s unofficial depth chart ahead of Week 1. He’s a huge target at 6-4 and 215 lbs and that pairs nicely with star Nico Collins who is the same height and seven or so pounds heavier.
This duo’s sheer size could create problems for a relatively slight Los Angeles secondary. Ahkello Witherspoon is the only Ram corner that brings a similar profile, and all of Cobie Durant, Darious Williams, and Emmanuel Forbes have concerns from a size perspective.
Will Houston be able to take advantage of this apparent advantage?
3 – Aireontae Ersery, LT
I viewed Ersery in the draft as a sure-starter at right tackle. Houston will start him on the left side of the line after the rookie beat out veteran Cam Robinson. Robinson is no slouch, however. The Minnesota Vikings traded for him midseason after losing Christian Darrisaw and he helped keep them on pace as one of the top offenses in football.
But the Rams will be a tough matchup for Ersery’s debut. Jared Verse—the 2024 defensive rookie of the year—is on the brink of entering the echelon of elite pass rushers and spent the offseason developing his craft. Byron Young is an adept speed rusher and the tandem can attack tackles in a multitude of ways.
Welcome to the NFL, Ersery.
4 – Jaylin Noel, WR/PR
Noel was Higgins’ college teammate at Iowa State. He’s a dynamic receiver with great short-area quickness and run after the catch ability, and he can also make you pay deep. He’ll probably have a role in the slot with Kirk out.
Punt returner Braxton Berrios has missed two days of practices this week, which means Noel could additionally be in line for those duties on special teams. He can make a difference in this facet of the game. The Rams must be on their toes.
