The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas, and play at "Reliant Stadium". They are currently members of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Texans joined the NFL as a 2002 expansion team. The city's previous franchise, the Houston Oilers, moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1997 and changed their name to the Tennessee Titans.

Franchise history

In 1996 the Oilers played their last game in Houston as they left for Tennessee, and in 1997 Houston was already looking for another team. The city sued the Oilers millions of dollars for leaving town, but it had no effect as the Oilers already had their mind set. Billionaires Bob McNair and his partner Steve Patterson tried to revive the city of Houston by bring another National Football League team to the area. Patterson was then named head of the new organization.

They got an immediate moral boost as they went to NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Tagliabue nailed down to three cities for the next team as he looked at Cleveland, Houston, and Los Angeles as the top three places. Tagliabue, who had promised a NFL team to Cleveland after the Browns left in 1995 delivered to Cleveland as he announced in 1998 that Cleveland would indeed be the 31st team in the league. It was originally though a team would move to Cleveland to keep the NFL at 30 teams, but in that 1998 season, Patterson was pleased to find out the Cleveland Browns would have their own team once again boosting the level to 31 teams and Tagliabue announcing he wanted to add a 32nd team to either Houston, Los Angeles, or Toronto.

While not too worried about Toronto coming to the NFL, Patterson was quite worried about Los Angeles, and when entertainment guru Michael Ovitz announced he would lead a privately financed $750 million project for a stadium in Carson, California, it made the fear come to reality. In late October 1998, Paul Tagliabue announced he would have a decision by April 1999 and his decision would have the 32nd NFL team. Now Ovitz was having a war of money in his own town, real estate developer Ed Roski proposed a 68,000-seat arena inside the shell of the Los Angeles Coliseum. On March 16, 1999 NFL owners voted 29-2 for the expansion team to be located in Los Angeles if they could put together an acceptable ownership team and stadium deal by September 15. When NFL officials went back in April, neither team had come together, the city was not allowing tax dollars to be spent on the stadium, and neither group was prepared to build the stadium that Houston had promised for the last 6 months.

When the NFL officials revisited in late May, Ovitz had changed ways and had plans for a 60-acre lot for parking spots, garages, shopping areas, and a stadium. Looked nice, but the price was bewildering at $225 million. Tagliabue was getting frustrated with Los Angeles as he told McNair to get talks back up with his expansion committee. On September 9, 1999, NFL officials met with Houston and Los Angeles groups in Atlanta for one last proposed deal. Los Angeles’ football hopes were not completely dead, but they were on the dying end of the stick. Then in the first week of October, Ovitz announced his group was willing to offer $540 million for the NFL Franchise. Later that week, Houston’s McNair offered a bid of $700 million.

On the morning of October 6, 1999 the NFL owners voted 29-0 to award the 32nd franchise to the city of Houston. After that things began to move fast as they searched for a team name, a logo, and even hired formal Washington Redskins General Manager Charley Casserole as Executive Vice President/General Manager in January 2000. That year they observed the first groundbreaking for the new Reliant Stadium, which would become the NFL’s first retractable roof stadium. In late 2000 the team unveiled their new team logo and went and hired former Carolina Panthers head coach and at the time current Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator as their first head coach.

On January 7th, 2011, the Texans won their first playoff game in team history with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild-Card round of the 2011-12 NFL Playoffs by a score of 31-10.ref>"Foster powers Texans to win over Bengals", January 7, 2012. Retrieved on January 7, 2012. </ref> before a 20–13 defeat by the Ravens in the semifinals.^[4]

The Texans surged as the team to beat in the AFC South in 2012, holding an 11–1 record by week 14. However, they lost three of their last four games to finish 12–4; beating the rival Indianapolis Colts in that four-game stretch allowing them to clinch their 2nd AFC South title. The Texans beat the Bengals again in the wild-card round, but they lost in the second round to the New England Patriots.^[5]

In 2013, the Texans started 2–0 but went into a tailspin and lost every game afterwards. Kubiak was fired as head coach after being swept by the rival Jacksonville Jaguars, who themselves started 0–8. Wade Phillips filled in as head coach, but the Texans' poor form did not change, and they finished 2–14, tying, with 2005, their worst record in franchise history. The 14-game losing streak is also the worst in franchise history.

The Texans entered the 2014 season with a 14-game losing streak. Former Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien became the Texans' new head coach, and the third in franchise history, during the offseason.^[6]^[7] In 2014, the Texans won three of their first four games, defeating the Redskins in the season opener, the Raiders, and the Bills, losing to the New York Giants. They lost three of their next four games, losing to the Dallas Cowboys, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively. The Texans went on to finish 9–7 in the 2014 season and barely missed the playoffs.

In the 2015 season, they were featured on HBO, on the show "Hard Knocks". That year, the Texans started with a 2–5 record. Quarterback Ryan Mallett was released amidst controversy regarding his benching in favor of Brian Hoyer during a loss against the Indianapolis Colts.^[8] After a poor start, the Texans finished with a 9–7 record and won their third AFC South title. However, they were shut out by the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round 30–0, ending their championship hopes for the year.

On March 9, 2016, the Texans signed former Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler to a 4-year, $72 million deal.^[9] Despite Osweiler's lucrative deal, he struggled significantly during the entire season. After throwing two interceptions in Week 15 against the Jaguars, coach Bill O'Brien benched the offseason acquisition in favor of backup quarterback Tom Savage. Savage led a comeback effort against the Jaguars, and was named the starter for the remainder of the season. The Texans clinched their fourth AFC South division title in six years in Savage's first career start against the Bengals in Week 16. They defeated the wildcard Oakland Raiders 27–14 in the opening round of the playoffs with Osweiler as the starting quarterback due to Savage being out with a concussion.^[10] Osweiler started in the Divisional Playoffs game against the New England Patriots, throwing three interceptions in the second half. The Texans lost 34–16.^[11]

Team identity

	Houston Texans
	Established 2002 ; Play in NRG Stadium,; Houston, Texas, U.S.
Helmet	Logo
	League/Conference affiliations
	National Football League (2002–present) American Football Conference (2002-present) AFC South (2002-present); ;
	Current uniform
Team colors	Deep Steel Blue, Battle Red, and Liberty White;
Mascot	Toro
	Personnel
Owner(s):	Janice McNair
Team President	Jamey Rootes
General Manager	Brian Gaine
Head Coach	Bill O'Brien
	Team history
Houston Texans Historical Teams
	Championships
	League Championships (0)
	Conference Championships (0)
	Division Championships (0)
	Home fields
	Reliant Stadium (2002-present);

Nickname

On March 2, 2000, Houston NFL 2002 announced that the team name search had been narrowed down to five choices: Apollos, Bobcats, Stallions, Texans, and Wildcatters.^[12] The list of names was determined after several months of research conducted jointly by Houston NFL 2002 and NFL Properties. An online survey regarding the name generated more than 65,000 responses in just seven days.

On September 6, 2000, the NFL's 32nd franchise was officially christened the Houston Texans before thousands at a downtown rally in Houston. McNair explained that the name and logo "embody the pride, strength, independence and achievement that make the people of Houston and our area special."^[13] The nickname "Texans" was more recently used by the now-defunct Canadian Football League franchise in San Antonio; the Texans had previously been the name of a former World Football League franchise in Houston, which moved to Louisiana to become the Shreveport Steamer; the Dallas Texans of the NFL which only played in the 1952 season; and the nickname was also used by the precursor of the present-day Kansas City Chiefs, when they were the Dallas Texans of the American Football League (AFL). Owner Bob McNair received permission from Chiefs' owner Lamar Hunt to use the Texans nickname for his new team. However, Lamar Hunt did not own the rights to the Texans' nickname. This was done out of respect to Hunt rather than a legal obligation.

Logo and uniforms

Along with the team name, McNair also unveiled the team logo, an abstract depiction of a bull's head, split in such a way to resemble the flag of Texas and the state of Texas, including a lone star to stand for the eye, the five points of which representing pride, courage, strength, tradition and independence. McNair described the colors as "Deep Steel Blue", "Battle Red" and "Liberty White".^[13] A year later the Texans unveiled their uniforms during another downtown rally.^[14]

The Texans' helmet is dark blue with the Texans bull logo. The helmet was initially white when the team name and logo were unveiled, but was later changed to dark blue. The uniform design consists of red trim and either dark blue or white jerseys. The team typically wears white pants with its blue jerseys and blue pants with its white jerseys. Starting with the 2006 season, the Texans wore all-white for their home opener, and the team began to wear an all-blue combination for home games vs. the Indianapolis Colts. In 2003, the Texans introduced an alternative red jersey with blue trim; they wear this jersey at one home game each year, usually against a division rival. In 2007, the Texans introduced red pants for the first time, pairing them with the red jerseys for an all-red look. (This uniform combination was not well-received and has since been retired). In October 2008 the Texans paired blue socks (instead of the traditional red) with their blue pants and white jerseys. In 2016, the Texans unveiled a new uniform combo against the Jacksonville Jaguars, pairing the red jersey with blue pants and red socks. In 2017, the Texans wear the color rush uniform with all-navy blue.

In 2002, the team wore a patch commemorating their inaugural season. Also, they celebrated 10 years as a franchise by wearing an anniversary patch throughout 2012.

Mascots and cheerleaders

The team's official mascot is Toro.^[15] The team also has a cheerleading squad simply named the Houston Texans Cheerleaders.^[16]

Rivalries

Template:Unreferenced section The Texans are the youngest franchise in the NFL, having only been competing in the NFL since 2002. For most of that time, they were considered perennial bottom-dwellers in the AFC South. For that reason, they have not had the history or the reputation on which to build classic rivalries like the ones that often exist between older franchises.

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans, who were formerly the Houston Oilers before their relocation in the 1990s, are viewed by many Houston fans as the Texans' chief rival.

Other AFC South rivalries

The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts, whom the Texans had never defeated in Indianapolis until the 2015 season, are the Texans rivals in the AFC South. More recently, Houston has increased bitterness with the Indianapolis Colts due to their young Houston-native quarterback Andrew Luck having been drafted by the Colts in 2012 and the franchise's first ever sweep of the Colts against Luck in 2016.^[17]

Cincinnati Bengals

The Texans have also developed a somewhat close rivalry with the Cincinnati Bengals, starting in 2011, when young Bengals quarterback and Houston-area native Andy Dalton led the Bengals to the playoffs only to be stopped short by the Texans two years in a row. (In 2011, the Texans had clinched their playoff spot, the first ever for the franchise, with a regular-season victory in Cincinnati. In 2016, they clinched the division with a regular-season victory in Houston.) The two teams have competitive bitter matchups in the regular season too, including the 3-5 Texans' upset road victory over the until-then undefeated Bengals on Monday Night Football on November 16, 2015. After the game, star defensive end J. J. Watt stated in a post-game interview that the Texans defense made the "Red Rifle" (nickname given to Dalton for his signature red hair) look like a "Red Ryder BB Gun." On the Christmas Eve game on Saturday Night, former Texans kicker Randy Bullock (who was cut from the Texans in 2015) was playing in his first game for the Bengals when in 5 seconds left of the game. He kicks the potential game-winning field goal wide right leading the Texans to win 12-10 and win the AFC South and the #4 seed in the playoffs.

New Orleans Saints

The Texans also have state border rivalry with the New Orleans Saints, with whom they contest every year (either in the preseason or the regular season). Ever since 2005, following a mass evacuation of New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina's devastation, the rivalry has grown stronger due to many of the New Orleans fans former residents staying in Houston permanently. The teams generally host joint practices against each other during week preceding the pre-season match up as well.

Dallas Cowboys

The Texans also have an intrastate rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, with whom they contest the so-called Governor's Cup every year (either in the preseason or the regular season) for bragging rights in the state of Texas. In 2017, the destruction and flooding caused during Hurricane Harvey a few days before their Week 4 pre-season match up time scheduled caused the game to be relocated to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. However, out of concern for the safety of the fans and the condition of the player's families & communities, the game was cancelled.

Players of note

Current roster

Houston Texans current roster

Quarterbacks

4 Deshaun Watson

Running Backs

22 Dontrell Hilliard
-- Mark Ingram, Jr.
38 Buddy Howell
31 David Johnson
40 Scottie Phillips

Wide Receivers

18 Randall Cobb
13 Brandin Cooks
82 Isaiah Coulter
16 Keke Coutee
17 Chad Hansen
11 Steven Mitchell
19 Damion

Tight Ends

88 Jordan Akins
87 Darren Fells
-- Paul Quessenberry
81 Kahale Warring

Offensive Linemen

68 Justin Britt G
73 Zach Fulton T
77 Hjalte Froholdt G
67 Charlie Heck G
71 Tytus Howard T
74 Max Scharping T
78 Laremy Tunsil T

Defensive Linemen

90 Ross Blacklock NT
97 Andrew Brown DE
92 Brandon Dunn NT
94 Charles Omenihu DE

Linebackers

41 Zach Cunningham ILB
53 Duke Ejiofor OLB
52 Jonathan Greenard OLB
48 Nate Hall ILB
54 Jacob Martin OLB
59 Whitney Mercilus OLB
55 Benardrick McKinney ILB

Defensive Backs

30 Cornell Armstrong CB
35 Keion Crossen CB
32 Lonnie Johnson Jr. CB
23 Eric Murray SS
36 Johnathan Owens S
34 John Reid CB
20 Justin Reid FS
21 Bradley Roby CB

Special Teams

7 Ka'imi Fairbairn K
9 Bryan Anger P

Unrestricted FAs

currently vacant

Restricted FAs

currently vacant

Exclusive-Rights FAs

currently vacant

Reserve Lists

71 Jeff Allen G (PUP)

Player codes

Active/PUP - Active / Physically Unable to Perform
PUP - Reserve / Physically Unable to Perform
IR - Injured Reserve
IR/DFR - Injured Reserve / Slated for Return
R - Rookie (player name in italics)
FA - Free Agent (Restriced)
UFA - Unrestriced free agent
NF-Inj. - Reserve-Non-Football Related Injury
NF-Ill. - Reserve-Non-Football Related Illness
PS-IR - Practice Squad/Injured Reserve
S- Suspended
SI - Suspended infdefinitely
Did Not Report - Reserve/Did not report
Exempt/Left Squad - Exempt/Left squad
Left Squad - Reserve/Left squad
Susp. or Suspended- Reserve/Suspended
Military - Reserve/Military
Future - Reserve/Future
Exempt - Roster exemption

Rookies in italics
Roster
Depth Chart • Transactions

→ More rosters

Staff and Coaches

**Houston Texans current staff**
v
t
e

	Front office Owner/senior chairwoman – Janice McNair CEO/chairman – Cal McNair President – Greg Grissom General manager – Nick Caserio Executive vice president of football operations – Jack Easterby Executive vice president/general counsel – Greg Kondritz Director of football operations – Clay Hampton Assistant director of player personnel and college scouting director – James Liipfert Director of Pro Personnel – Ronnie McGill Assistant director of pro scouting – D.J. Debick Director of team development – Dylan Thompson Head coaches Head coach – Lovie Smith Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Pep Hamilton Running backs – Danny Barrett Wide receivers/pass game coordinator – Ben McDaniels Tight ends – Tim Berbenich Offensive line – George Warhop Assistant offensive line – Hal Hunter Offensive assistant – DeNarius McGhee Offensive assistant – Robbie Picazo Offensive assistant/quarterbacks – Ted White	Defensive coaches Defensive line – Jacques Cesaire Assistant defensive line – Kenyon Jackson Linebackers – Miles Smith Cornerbacks – Dino Vasso Safeties – Joe Danna Defensive assistant – Ben Bolling Defensive assistant/nickels – Ilir Emini Defensive assistant – Dele Harding Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Frank Ross Assistant special teams – Sean Baker Strength and Conditioning Head strength and conditioning – Mike Eubanks Assistant strength and conditioning coach – James Hardy Assistant strength and conditioning coach – Joe Distor Assistant strength and conditioning coach – Pat Moorer → Coaching staff → Management → More NFL staffs
Template:NFL staff footer

Ring of Honor

On November 19, 2017, Andre Johnson was the first-ever inductee into the Texans Ring of Honor.^[18]

Houston Texans Ring of Honor
No.	Player	Position	Tenure	Inducted
80	Andre Johnson	WR	2003–2014	2017

Coaches of note

Head coaches

Texans head coaches
Name	Tenure	Seasons	Record			Division titles
Name	Tenure	Seasons	W	L	T	Division titles
Dom Capers	January 21, 2001–January 2, 2006	4	18	46	0	0
Gary Kubiak	January 26, 2006–December 6, 2013	8	61	64	0	2
Wade Phillips	December 6, 2013–January 1, 2014	Interim	0	4	0	0
Bill O'Brien	January 2, 2014–present	4	31	33	0	2

Offensive coordinators

Name	Tenure
Chris Palmer	2002–2005
Troy Calhoun	2006
Mike Sherman	2007
Kyle Shanahan	2008–2009
Rick Dennison	2010–2013
Bill O'Brien	2014, 2017–present
George Godsey	2015–2016

Defensive coordinators

Name	Tenure
Vic Fangio	2002–2005
Richard Smith	2006–2008
Frank Bush	2009–2010
Wade Phillips	2011–2013
Romeo Crennel	2014–2016 2018–present
Mike Vrabel	2017

NFL Draft history

Template:Further information

First-round draft picks by year