Battle Red Blog
Last Friday brought unfortunate news out of the Houston Texans training camp: rookie defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton has been placed on IR after suffering a season-ending ankle injury, per Aaron Wilson:
Hamilton was drafted in the seventh round, 224th overall in the NFL Draft. An honorable mention All Big Ten defensive tackle out of Rutgers, his 2024 statistics were:
Battle Red Blog’s resident tape junkie, Kenneth L., had this to say of Kyonte Hamilton back in June:
Tall and well proportioned, Hamilton flashes agility and several pass rush moves once the ball is snapped. I wouldn’t call him dynamic, which is why he fell to the seventh round, but there’s enough tape here for Houston to throw a late round flier his way. He is a well-rounded defensive tackle who had his best statistical season in 2024, but even so didn’t light up the stat sheet at Rutgers.
It’s a poorly timed injury for Hamilton, who was searching for a path to a roster spot on the defense that’s particularly thin at DT, but there’s no reason to give up on him yet. In the brief analysis of him I made in my draft grades post, I saw a raw prospect with the drive to become a quality defensive lineman, like current Texans tackle Kurt Hinish.
Following Hamilton’s placement on IR, Houston promptly signed two more defensive lineman: DT Marlon Davidson and DT Haddai Chisholm Ndubuisi. Part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) Program, Ndubuisi’s placement will not count towards a roster spot.
Marlon Davidson, a second-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2020 NFL Draft, Davidson fits the frame left by Kyonte Hamilton, his three seasons made a significant impact during his time in Atlanta and in Tennessee.
Haddai Chisholm Ndubuisi has spent time on five other NFL teams, briefly appearing on rosters or practice squads for the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and twice with Washington Commanders. He even had a stint with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas back in February 2024, but was waived within two weeks of signing. Ndubuisi is only 24 and stands at an imposing 6’ 6”, 298lbs., so the raw size is present, but it would be a surprise to see him last longer than the preseason.
Kyonte Hamilton’s placement on IR is a difficult pill to swallow for the Houston Texans on the eve of the preseason, but hopefully the signings of Marlon Davidson and/or Haddai Chisholm Ndubuisi will nullify the impact it has on the depth chart. What do you think, though? Is Hamilton’s loss and real challenge to Houston’s depth at defensive line, is there a chance Marlon Davidson breaks through, or is the current depth chart largely unaffected? Let us know down in the comments below!
