DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans are not done working through some of the depth options on their roster and have decided to move on from two players on Wednesday, one each behind stars Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr.
Ajani Carter and Xavier Thomas will hit waivers for the next 24 hours.
After that, though, their situations will take another turn before the Texans will likely face another set of decisions.
Texans Cut Ties With Ajani Carter, Xavier Thomas
GettyDeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans thinned their roster on Wednesday.
“The #Texans have waived DB Ajani Carter and DE Xavier Thomas, per the team,” The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander reported in a post on X on July 1.
“Carter and Thomas had been on the reserve/injured list.”
Both Carter and Thomas are coming off their first seasons on the Texans’ roster. Carter was an undrafted free agent out of Houston. He saw the field in two games during the 2025 regular season, playing exclusively on special teams.
Thomas was a fifth-round pick, taken 138th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2024 draft, who did not see the field for Houston after joining the club during the 2025 campaign.
Neither player recorded a stat for the Texans last season.
They both play positions at which the Texans boast strong depth options, even after parting ways with Carter and Thomas. Stingley headlines a group that includes 2025 draft pick Jaylin Smith and veterans Ja’Marcus Ingram and Tremon Smith.
“Carter has recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery and is ready to work out for #NFL teams, per a source,” KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson reported in a post on X after the news.
There have been no further updates on Thomas’ outlook just yet.
Texans Completing Process That Began in May
GettyThe Houston Texans finalized their decisions on Xavier Thomas and Ajani Carter.
The Texans are finalizing decisions on Carter and Thomas that they made more than one month ago. They waived both players with injury designations in May. Neither player was claimed, so they reverted to the Texans’ injured reserve.
The parties then had to agree on an injury settlement to pay the players for a set period of time.
They are also prohibited from re-signing with the Texans for an additional three weeks after their settlement period ends.
Hypothetically, if the settlement–the terms of which were not revealed–runs through Week 1 of the 2026 regular season, then the Texans could not re-sign either of Carter or Thomas until Week 4.
Again, they boast significant depth at both players’ positions, making that an unlikely outcome.
Texans Heading for Reckoning With Roster
GettyC.J. Stroud is one of several key decisions the Houston Texans face.
Carter and Thomas’ departures are a fair time for the reminder that Ryans and the Texans have built a strong roster featuring the likes of Anderson, Stingley, and several others.
However, that accumulation of talent is getting to be quite expensive.
The Texans began the 2026 offseason over the salary cap, but made some adjustments to get themselves under the threshold. They face a similar fate in 2027, with Over The Cap projecting them to be $35.3 million over the limit.
That could come as the Texans are handing C.J. Stroud a long-term contract extension, or at least preparing for his cap hit to jump from $11.5 million in 2026 to $25.9 million in 2027.
That would be on his fifth-year option, meaning the Texans would still have decisions to make.
Texans Shake Up Roster Behind Will Anderson Jr., Derek Stingley Jr.