The Houston Texans salary cap situation

The Houston Texans’ salary cap situation isn’t as dire as many teams heading into the spring. According to Over The Cap, the Texans have just over $36 million in cap space before they head into free agency. That’s significantly better than where teams like the New Orleans Saints are, as the Saints are about $30 million in the red.

The Texans need to spend some money to upgrade their roster, as the team they put on the field was subpar for the 2022 season. First-year head coach DeMeco Ryans will have a chance to draft some help in April, and the team should be able to sign a few veteran players to help the rebuild process. One NFL analyst thinks the Texans could shed some cap weight to add extra cash.

The Athletic recently came out with an article on salary cap cut candidates for each NFL team. Mike Jones suggested the Houston Texans could save $4 million by cutting safety; Eric Murray:

“The Texans are in good cap shape. With more than $37.1 million of space, they boast the fourth-most cap space in the league. However, they could free up a bit more by parting with veterans who no longer figure into their plans.

Linebacker Christian Kirksey, who would save $5 million if cut, has been rumored to be a potential cap-related cut, but he’s a strong leader and one of the Texans’ leading tacklers, which could make him valuable to new head coach DeMeco Ryans, himself a former Houston linebacker.

Murray, however, saw rookie Jalen Pitre cut into his playing time last season. Pitre racked up 147 tackles and five interceptions as a second-round pick. So Murray could find himself as the odd man out.”

The Texans don’t have to make a cut

The Texans don’t need to rush to make cuts because they have plenty of money available this offseason. That’s a good situation for Ryans to inherit, as he can decide if he wants to keep certain players on the roster for team-building reasons instead of cutting veteran leadership to save money.