The Houston Texans may be the newest franchise the NFL has added in recent years, but that doesn't mean they're not without their shining stars. Franchises in the NFL have a certain weight to them for a variety of reasons. How long they've been around, the number of championships (division, conference, Super Bowl) that the squad has, and of course, the legendary players that have helped them get those wins.
As of press time in 2024, the Chicago Bears have the most Hall of Famers with 39. Considering the Bears have been around for 102 years as a franchise, that sort of makes sense. Only the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers have been around longer. Yet, on the other side of the scale, the Houston Texans have been around the fewest years, at just 22.
The Baltimore Ravens were the second youngest, going on 28. While the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars are 29. It shouldn't then surprise anyone to know that the Panthers and Jaguars are right there with the Texans to have the fewest Hall of Famers. The Jags and Texans have one apiece; Tony Boselli and Andre Johnson. The Panthers, while a few future Hall of Famers played for them, have yet to have their first true inductee go in.
The Ravens, who were technically the Cleveland Browns franchise, just with a new coat of paint and a new history, have just three; Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogdon, and Ed Reed.
Ironically enough, two of those names, Boselli and Reed, were part of the Texans franchise at one time. Boselli was the first pick in the 2002 Expansion Draft, landing the Texans a stalwart at left tackle, but injuries kept him from playing a single down for Houston. Reed spent seven games as a member of the club before heading to the New York Jets mid-season and then retiring.
So while a few Hall of Famers have come through, the Texans have only had one player officially recognized as a member of Canton's Hall of Fame.
It won't be that way for long, however, as J.J. Watt is certainly a first-ballot guy and will be enshrined one day very soon.