On one hand, you wouldn't expect that going into free agency, one of the biggest needs of the Houston Texans would be finding reinforcements along the interior of its defensive line. This was a unit that, for probably 80 percent of the 2025 season, appeared to be impenetrable by even the league's best offenses. By any statistical category, the Texans weren't just arguably the best defense in the NFL, they were flirting with ending the season in historically great territory.
And yet on the other hand, the success of 2025 doesn't necessarily guarantee success in 2026 or beyond. Injuries, cap casualties, bad bounces and Father Time will all impact the Texans at one point or another, so therefore the pursuit of remaining the NFL's best defense requires no days off, and that's a mindset that should be just as prevalent in the front office as it is the locker room.
If there's one area of the Houston Texans defense that needs a boost, it is the defensive interior. Season-ending injuries to Tim Settle Jr. and Folo Fatukasi thrust Tommy Togiai -- who emerged as an unsung hero and a beloved Texans teammate -- into the picture, and along with the likes of Sheldon Rankins, Mario Edwards, and by season's end, Naquan Jones, the Texans had managed to cobble together a group that could hold up just fine.
But this offseason, the Texans defensive interior is bound to undergo major changes. Rankins, Settle, Fatukasi and Jones are all free agents, and Edwards is considered one of Houston's most likely cap casualties. This leaves Togiai as the only player from the group mentioned above that will be returning, and while he's certainly the best of that bunch, Houston needs to address their depth during the offseason.
One player that the Texans could potentially target is John Franklin-Myers of the Denver Broncos. Although he's by no means a household name, Franklin-Myers is just 29 years old and he's far and away the top-ranked interior defensive lineman of this free agent class. In fact, he's the only interior defender who is ranked in ESPN's top 50 free agents list.
Earlier this week, Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus made the case that this is the number one free agent the Texans should be pursuing this offseason.
"Franklin-Myers has been an unsung standout for Denver’s similarly fantastic defense. Over the last two years, he’s generated 96 pressures on a 15.2% pass-rush win rate, the fifth-best among defensive linemen in that span," writes Locker. "It would only be fitting for the underrated star on one of the league’s top defenses to take his services to another; Franklin-Myers certainly fits the bill of what Houston aims to be up front."
Pairing Myers with Togiai -- who was among the best run stoppers at his position last season -- would arguably make the Texans defense even more dynamic than it was last year. Having that little extra boost of a pass rush coming from the interior, with Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter flying in like pterodactyls from the edge, would be a frightening sight for any quarterback unlucky enough to have to face the Texans defense.