Earlier, some unfortunate injury news hit the news cycle for the Houston Texans and their fans. Houston linebacker E.J. Speed is expected to miss some time this season after suffering a quadricep injury while training.
According to Texans insider Aaron Wilson, Speed partially tore his quadriceps and tendon during offseason training. The veteran linebacker will have surgery to repair the damage after sustaining the injury. While the news of Speed's injury may be devastating to digest, he is expected to return to action sometime during the 2026 season.
In a follow-up post, Wilson revealed that Dallas Cowboys team doctor, Dr. Dan Cooper, will lead Speed’s surgical procedure.
E.J. Speed has been a quality contributor for Houston's defense
Elbert Martin “E.J” Speed joined the Texans franchise last offseason, originally signing a one-year deal worth $5,000,000. After an impressive 2025 campaign in Houston, where he played in 16 games with nine starts, the Fort Worth, TX native was awarded a 2-year, $30 million contract extension this past March.
Before heading to his home state and joining the Texans franchise, Speed spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts after the Colts selected him in the fifth round (164th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft. His first 3 years in Indianapolis were primarily spent as a special teamer. However, in the 2022 season, Speed saw an uptick in his defensive snaps, which allotted him a more prominent role in the Colts' defense in his last two seasons there. Speed's best here in Indianapolis was this 2024 campaign. It was there that the former Tarleton State product would play and start in 15 games, recording 142 total tackles (93 solo), 7 tackles for loss, 5 passes defended, and 1 interception on the season.
Last year with Houston, Speed recorded 62 total tackles (33 solo), 2 tackles for loss, and 1 pass defended. Although his numbers do not pop off the stat sheet, he was a solid fixture and an integral part of the Texans' stout defense last season, making timely plays whenever he was on the field.
Texans will look to 'next man up' mentality
The injury to the Houston veteran linebacker could very well be problematic, but it will also provide an opportunity for the incoming group of linebackers, most notably Houston’s two linebackers selected in the 2026 NFL Draft: Wade Woodaz and Aiden Fisher. Both rookie linebackers are looking to carve out a spot on the Texans' 53-man roster. And with speed likely out for a substantial amount of time, the odds for one or both rookies to make the cut, or at least make the Houston practice squad, have taken a positive bump.
The Texans and their fans would love nothing more than to have a completely healthy roster ready to go for the Texans' Week 1 contest with the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately, that is rarely ever the case, and Speed is a direct representation of that. Fortunately, the Texans did an excellent job developing and cultivating a defensive mindset of ‘next man up’ coupled with quality talent at the position.
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