Houston placed linebacker Jake Hummel on injured reserve before its Week 3 game against Indianapolis, sidelining him for at least four contests. The groin injury occurred in the previous matchup with Cincinnati, and Hummel missed six straight practices. He will be unavailable for the Colts, Dallas, Tennessee and Jacksonville games, with the Jaguars contest in London.
Hummel’s move leaves Houston with four linebackers either on injured reserve or the physically unable to perform list before the season reaches three games. E.J. Speed has a serious quad injury from the offseason that could keep him out through all of 2026.
K.C. Ossai opened the season on injured reserve, while Henry To’oTo’o was placed there after a shoulder injury late in the fourth quarter of Houston’s Week 1 game against Buffalo.
The Texans have five linebackers remaining on their 53-man roster: Azeez Al-Shaair, Jake Hansen, Jamal Hill, Wade Woodaz and Aiden Fisher. Hummel has mostly played special teams and logged 150 defensive snaps in his career.
Hill recently moved up from the practice squad, and first-year draft picks Woodaz and Fisher could see larger roles on defense and special teams after their work in July and August. Houston could add or elevate another linebacker, but Kenneth Murray, the former Dallas linebacker on the practice squad, was unavailable for the Colts game because the team had completed its elevations.
