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The Houston Texans will be without E.J. Speed for some time.

The Houston Texans clearly value veteran linebacker E.J. Speed. That makes the latest news coming amid the team’s offseason program disheartening. Speed is entering his second season with the Texans after six seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

A former fifth-round pick, he is heading into his eighth NFL season.

However, Speed is facing an uphill battle to get back on the field after recently suffering a significant injury.

E.J. Speed Suffers Major Injury Amid Texans’ Offseason Program

“Texans veteran linebacker E.J. Speed suffered a partially torn quadriceps and partially torn quadriceps tendon that will require surgery and should allow him to return at some point this season, per league sources,” KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson wrote on May 22.

“Dallas Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper, a widely renowned orthopedic surgeon, is expected to perform the procedure, per sources.”

Wilson put Speed’s estimated recovery timeline at “at least” three months.

That would put his return at some time in August, which is still the preseason. However, Wilson emphasized that three months is an optimistic timeline by adding that there is “some hope he can return to play during the season with no exact timetable.”

Speed tallied 62 total tackles for the Texans last season, starting nine of his 16 appearances.

He was third 11th in defensive snap share, finishing behind fellow LBs Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o at the position. The Texans extended Speed before the 2025 offseason began.

The Colts selected Speed 164th overall in the 2019 draft. He signed with the Texans in free agency in 2025 after back-to-back seasons with over 100 total tackles and had a career-best 142 combined stops in his final season with the club.

Texans Bolstered LB Corps This Offseason

There is never a good time for a player to suffer an injury, whether they are a starter like Speed or a reserve. However, Texans general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans were particularly proactive with their linebacker group beyond Speed this offseason.

The Texans selected two linebackers–fourth-round pick Wade Woodaz out of Clemson and seventh-rounder Aiden Fisher out of Indiana–in the 2026 draft.

Both players drew strong reviews from Scouts Inc. before the draft.

“A two-year starter, Woodaz is a disciplined run defender who reads and keys well. He takes good angles and will come downhill to fill the hole,” Scouts Inc. wrote ahead of the event.  “Length allows him to get his hands up and bat down balls in coverage. He displays effective cover skills in man coverage when matched up versus tight ends. Overall, Woodaz is a well-rounded player who didn’t show game-wrecking ability in college.”

On Fisher, the outlet noted he “is an instinctive player who reads the front well, quickly identifying where to fit gaps and flowing to the football. Fisher will fight through contact, though he can get swallowed up by blocks and struggles to disengage from offensive linemen when they climb to the second level.

“More effective when he can sidestep and rip under blocks rather than taking them on head up. Fisher is also effective as a blitzer, showing good timing and feel for attacking gaps. In coverage, he is solid working underneath in zone.”

There are questions about his coverage ability. So, preseason reps will be critical.

Speed could face a battle for his snaps when he returns, whenever that is. And the longer that takes, the steeper the climb will be for the veteran defender.