Texans Sign Dt Naquan Jones

The Texans are making more midseason moves at defensive tackle. On Monday morning, the team announced that they are signing former Houston Texan DT Naquan Jones from the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad:

In a coinciding move, the Texans are also waiving DT Jaden Crumedy. Crumedy, 26, was signed by Texans off of the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad on September 11th, following rookie DT Kayden McDonald’s placement on IR to begin the season. Crumedy would appear in six games for the Texans, tallying six tackles, a QB hit, half a sack, and a 53.8 PFF Grade (51.4 RDEF, 71.4 TACK, 59.4 PRSH) in 87 snaps on defense. As of today, Crumedy has cleared waivers and is being signed to Houston’s practice squad.

Naquan Jones, who is returning to the Texans after failing to make the initial 53-man roster, returns after a brief stint with the San Francisco 49ers, where he appeared in three games and tallied two tackles, one pressure, and a 29.5 PFF Grade (33.0 RDEF, 28.4 TACK, 52.5 PRSH) in 44 snaps on defense. He will replace Crumedy on the DT depth chart. The current lineup consists of:

• Sheldon Rankins
• Tommy Togiai
• Kayden McDonald
• Logan Hall
• Naquan Jones
• Mario Edwards Jr. (Season-Ending IR)

Crumedy may not have been a complete disaster for the Texans, but he does not offer the veteran experience that Jones has, especially considering he played over 100 snaps in Houston’s final month of action in 2025. 

Following Houston’s 27-21 overtime loss to the New York Giants, it was clear that improvements had to be made in stopping the run before every team starts copying the Giants’ playbook against the Texans. At 6’ 3” and 313 lbs., Jones should plug right into the LDT spot, next to Logan Hall, Sheldon Rankins, Tommy Togiai, or Kayden McDonald depending on the situation. Hopefully, he’ll pick up where he left off in Houston last year as a solid, if unspectacular interior defender that possesses enough strength and speed to be a handful for opposing offensive lineman. His experience in DeMeco Ryans/Matt Burke’s scheme should give him a chance to make an impact right away, which could be great news if he and McDonald are able to complement each other. 

In addition to the Naquan Jones signing, the Texans are also signing UDFA RB Joshua Pitsenberger to the practice squad and releasing RB Deuce Vaughn. They also claimed former Cowboys RB Emari Demercado off waivers last week. Lastly, the Texans also announced today that UDFA WR Daniel Sobkowicz is also joining the practice squad along with Jaden Crumedy, and they are releasing 2025 7th round pick DT Kyonte Hamilton and TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden.

What do you think of these moves? Are the Texans a better team with Naquan Jones on the roster instead of Jaden Crumedy, or was this a mistake? Will Joshua Pitsenberger and/or Emari Demercado contribute on special teams or the offense this coming weekend, or will we all just be anxiously waiting for RB David Montgomery’s return from injury? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!

Go Texans!