Yesterday, Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans announced that starting safety MJ Stewart would require season-ending quadriceps surgery:
This is a destabilizing blow to the NFL’s number one defense. Houston’s defensive backfield relied heavily on Stewart after former free agent signing CJ Gardner-Johnson was released in Week 4 after struggling to adapt to the Texans’ defensive scheme.
In his nine appearances and four starts during the 2025 regular season, MJ Stewart scored:
- 228 snaps on defense, 102 snaps on special teams
- 30 tackles (5 on special teams)
- 2 pass deflections
- 7 catches on 12 targets (58.3% rec) for 68 yards and 1 touchdown
- 4 stops
- 1 forced fumble
- 102.1 Passer Rating Allowed
- Grade 49.7 PFF
An eight-year veteran in his fourth year in Houston, MJ Stewart had become one of the unsung heroes of Houston’s dominant defense this year. Stewart has been a tackling machine since taking over the starting role following the unexpected departure of Gardner-Johnson. He perfectly embodies the swarm mentality that forms the basis of DeMeco Ryans defensive philosophy, and on special teams, MJ Stewart was a bully:
Stewart had signed his third contract with Houston this year, a 1-year, $2.5 million extension with the Texans in March 2025. His instincts and athleticism made him an integral part of what current head coach DeMeco Ryans, former head coach Lovie Smith and current special teams coordinator Frank Ross wanted to implement in Houston. So while MJ Stewart may seem like just another replaceable DB on the Texans’ super-athletic roster, his impact on the team goes far beyond what’s conveyed on a stat sheet.
After Stewart was taken off the field during the Week 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans moved cornerback Myles Bryant into the starting job. Recently promoted from Houston’s practice squad, Bryant is a multi-year veteran and has recent experience playing snaps for the Texans late in the 2024 season and during the preseason. Starting safety Jalen Pitre was also inactive during the game, so when Houston played a nickel formation, they brought in backup cornerback Tremon Smith to play nickel.
Pitre will eventually return from injury, but Stewart will not, so Bryant will have to adapt to the safety position and fill Stewart’s role on defense and special teams as best he can. If not Bryant, then other Texans DBs such as rookie sixth-round pick Jaylen Reed of Penn State, cornerback Damon Arnette (who was promoted to the active roster effective Nov. 8), veteran safety Jalen Mills or recent practice squad signee Alijah Huzzie will have to step up.
Safety Jimmie Ward also remains on the list after he was removed from the commissioners’ exempt list, but has yet to appear in a game. According to Aaron Wilson, Ward had “…made great progress thanks to a pair of off-season foot surgeries” and “…(the Texans) expect him to be medically ready to begin practicing in the coming weeks” beginning on September 24. Despite this, he remains on the Reserve/PUP list on the Texans website.
Of all of these options, I expect Jaylen Reed and Myles Bryant to absorb the most snaps in place of MJ Stewart. This could have been an opportunity for rookie third-round pick Jaylin Smith to get more defensive snaps, but he was also placed on the season-ending injured list on November 5.
DeMeco Ryans also announced that quarterback CJ Stroud, right tackle Tytus Howard and safety Jalen Pitre remain in concussion protocol as of Monday. They will need to clear the concussion protocol this week if they plan to play in Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. Otherwise, Houston will once again rely on depth to keep its playoff hopes alive.
We here at Battle Red Blog wish MJ Stewart a speedy recovery!