Dylan Horton

Career StatsF

Year	Team	GP	Sacks	Tkl	TFL
Career		39	0.5	55	3
2025		16	0.5	26	1
2024		13	0.0	16	1.5
2023		10

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The Houston Texans secured solid rotational depth at a reasonable price with Dylan Horton's four-year, $4.6M extension, earning a C CVI that reflects appropriate market calibration for an unproven defensive end. At just $1.2M annually, Houston is betting on developmental upside rather than paying for established production, which makes sense given Horton's limited track record as a contributor. The relatively modest $0.8M in guaranteed money provides the Texans with flexibility to move on if he doesn't develop, while the four-year term gives them cost control if he does emerge as a consistent pass rusher. This deal represents the type of low-risk, medium-reward investment that smart organizations make on young edge defenders who showed flashes but haven't yet proven they can be weekly impact players. For a Texans defense looking to build sustainable depth behind their established starters, Horton's contract offers decent value without breaking the bank or creating long-term salary cap complications.

Performance Analysis

Dylan Horton earns an F for the Texans at defensive end, a young player who has been unable to generate any production off the edge. Horton has the physical traits to be an edge rusher, but his technique and awareness are well behind NFL standards. Houston has one of the deeper defensive fronts in football, and Horton is nowhere near earning snaps in that rotation. He has been used sparingly, and the results have been poor. The Texans may move on if Horton cannot show significant improvement in his pass-rush development.

Current Sentiment

Dylan Horton's public perception heading into 2026 is exactly what you'd expect from a replacement-level defensive end who has spent three years operating well below the media visibility threshold — largely anonymous, generating almost no meaningful coverage or fan discussion outside of fringe roster debates. The narrative around him is driven almost entirely by the absence of a narrative: three NFL seasons have produced 26 tackles and 0.5 sacks in the 2025 season, a modest $1.2M annual contract, and no compelling storylines to shift the discourse in either direction, leaving him stuck in that vast middle tier of NFL players who exist on rosters without ever capturing analyst attention. That anonymity aligns directly with a performance grade sitting at F, meaning the on-field production isn't generating the kind of tape that could organically build momentum or force a reassessment from coaches, scouts, or media. Houston's aggressive offseason activity — adding Braden Smith, Wyatt Teller, Evan Brown, Reed Blankenship, Foster Moreau, and Marte Mapu — signals a front office investing heavily in impact contributors, which only further marginalizes Horton's standing within the organization and deepens the sense that he is competing for a roster spot rather than a role. The sentiment trending from D to D+ is less a sign of genuine momentum and more a reflection of baseline stability — he hasn't done anything to crater his standing, but until he finds a way to break through defensively and force the conversation, his perception remains stuck in neutral and his roster security heading into the regular season looks precarious.