The NFL trade deadline is now only two days away, as Tuesday, Nov. 4, will be the final opportunity for multiple NFL teams seeking to transform the rest of their seasons.

According to ESPN Senior NFL Writer Bill Barnwell, teams like the Bills, Lions, Colts, Chiefs, Rams, and Eagles are all teams that he would categorize as "definitely" needing to add players at the deadline. 

However, he had the Texans in the "should probably deal players for picks" category. 

"The Texans aren't out of the wild-card race at 3-4, but GM Nick Caserio would do well to add some future draft capital for players on the fringe of his roster,"  mentioned Barnwell. 

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To Barnwell's point, Houston is definitely not in "fire-sale" mode, as they are more than competitive enough to still be considered contenders for an AFC Wildcard berth at minimum.  

In fact, in the event of a win against the Broncos, the Texans could/should be in the market for upgrades at a number of positions of need as they try putting the pedal to the metal for the home stretch. At the moment, one could argue them to be offensive line, tight end and running back. 

The Case To Sell

Yet, regardless of outcome, they still have a few players with value that would most likely get a better chance to play elsewhere if traded by this Tuesday.

In that scenario, those sent out could net the Texans additional draft capital to couple with the rest of their six picks in the first four rounds of the 2026 cycle (1st, 2nd [WAS], 2nd, 3rd [NY], 4th [WAS], and 4th).

Names to watch could include current third-string running back/special teamer Dameon Pierce, offensive tackle Trent Brown (acquired in FA), and defensive end Darrell Taylor (also acquired in FA). 

There could be additional names that could be on the proverbial table for the Texans in the event of a catastrophic fifth loss against Denver, such as defensive ends Denico Autry and/or the recently resigned Danielle Hunter.

For that to happen, general manager Nick Caserio and head coach Demeco Ryans would have to unanimously agree that overly prioritizing the final nine games of 2025 wouldn't be prudent for the long-term health of the franchise.

In that instance, the Texans would then offload those contracts in hopes of a reload for 2026 by way of weaponizing both draft assets and rolling over salary cap space savings (+ $12 milion this season with a Hunter trade, + $5 million with Autry trade). 

Reasons To Buy

If the Texans were to leave NRG Stadium today with a campaign balancing 4th win, they would then be firmly entrenched in the AFC playoff race with nine games left.

This would only amplify the attention to Tuesday's deadline, as both fans and media have already been fantasy booking names like Breece Hall (Jets - RB), De'Von Achane (Dolphins - RB), Jerome Ford (Browns - RB), David Njoku (Browns - TE), Chig Okonkwo (Titans - TE) and Jackson Powers-Johnson (OL) to Houston. 

That list covers every major hole that the Texans would hypothetically be aiming to fill if they truly attempted to load up for a late-season playoff push.

This is due to still having no word on the availability of starting running back Joe Mixon for this season, Dalton Schultz being one of their only viable tight ends at the moment and the offensive line still needing some help keeping quarterback CJ Stroud from eating turf every other down. 

This conversation will take one path or the other after the games' end, after roughly 3:30 p.m. CT. Hopefully, the winning alternative will be what's being discussed late into the evening rather than who's probably on the way out come Tuesday afternoon.