Getty
M.J. Stewart #29 of the Houston Texans runs onto the field during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Houston Texans took a significant step with their roster on Friday, securing a player who made an impact as a starter this past season in M.J. Stewart. A former second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Stewart has spent the past four seasons with the Texans.
Stewart earned the most extensive starting stint of his Texans tenure this past season, but had it cut short due to an injury.
With the official start of the offseason looming, the Texans made their final call on Stewart.
Texans Make Final Decision on M.J. Stewart
GettyM.J. Stewart #29 of the Houston Texans reacts against the Dallas Cowboys.
“The Texans plan to re-sign safety M.J. Stewart to a one-year deal, per source,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on X on March 6. “The eight-year vet had 25 tackles and two pass deflections in nine games (four starts).”
KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson corroborated the news a short while later.
Wilson also reported that Stewart is “Making sound recovery from torn quadriceps tendon” that ended his season.
The Buccaneers selected Stewart 53rd overall in the 2018 draft. He spent two seasons there before the Bucs waived him, and the Cleveland Browns picked him up. After two seasons in Cleveland, Stewart signed with the Texans.
He has been productive when called upon.
Stewart has 100 total tackles, 4 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, 3 pass deflections, and has started five of his 49 games played across four seasons for Houston.
Stewart was coming off a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Texans. Spotrac projected his market value slightly above that, suggesting he could land a one-year, $2.8 million contract for his next deal.
Texans Have Fallback Options Before Offseason
GettyJaylen Reed #23 of the Houston Texans looks on before the game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Stewart was one of several alternatives on the roster that the Texans turned to at safety amid an injury to Jalen Pitre, but even more because they cut 2025 offseason trade acquisition C.J. Gardner-Johnson after Week 3.
Stewart received the first opportunity to replace Gardner-Johnson, but his injury cut the stint short in Week 10.
Texans 2025 sixth-round pick Jaylen Reed took over.
His stint lasted one game before he broke a metal plate in his forearm from a previous injury and was forced to undergo surgery. Reed returned for the postseason and resumed his starting duties.
Texans Secondary in Intriguing Spot
GettyJalen Pitre #5 of the Houston Texans reacts against the New England Patriots.
It will be interesting to see what else happens at the position for the Texans, or if they go into 2026 ready to let Reed and Stewart compete to start next to Calen Bullock. Pitre operates at nickelback, but the Texans could turn to 2025 third-rounder Jaylin Smith there.
Smith also had his season cut short by an injury. However, he profiles as a potential option inside, particularly with Derek Stingely Jr. and Kamari Lassiter on the perimeter.
In that case, Reed and Stewart would fall back into reserve roles behind Bullock and Pitre.
The wild card is that the Texans could add another veteran player or draft prospect into the mix this offseason. They have aggressively addressed their offensive line and defensive end positions, and figure to give attention to their defensive tackles as well.
The Texans can head into the offseason confident in what they have with Stewart and the rest of the secondary, though, allowing them to avoid overreaching for a player to fill the void.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
More Heavy on Texans
Loading more stories