Will Anderson Jr.

NFL defensive end. Position: EDGE. Team: HOU.

Quick Facts

Position: Edge Rusher / Defensive End (EDGE)
Team: HOU (Houston Texans)
Age: 24 years old
Experience: 4 seasons in NFL (since 2023)
Contract: 3-year, $150M extension (highest-paid non-QB in NFL history)

2026 Outlook

Will Anderson Jr. is the centerpiece of Houston's elite defense after a dominant 2025 campaign. He earned First-Team All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year runner-up honors with 12 sacks, 54 tackles, and a Next Gen Stats era-record 48 third-down pressures. PFF graded him 92.4 overall (2nd among edge rushers). At just 24, Anderson signed a historic $150M deal making him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history, though some argue he should have won DPoY outright given his production. Entering 2026, Anderson believes the Texans have "Super Bowl-caliber players all over the field" and stated the team's OTAs were the best cohesion he's experienced in his four seasons. (per Will Anderson says Texans 'most definitely' have title aspirations)

The Texans are building around Anderson with complementary pieces: Reed Blankenship joins as a pro-ready safety to address red-zone weakness (2025: 55.3% TD rate, 13th in league), and LB depth (Marte Mapu, Wade Woodaz, Aiden Fisher) offsets E.J. Speed's potential season-ending quad injury. All six 2025 Pro Bowlers return alongside Danielle Hunter, giving Anderson the deepest roster he's had in his four seasons. Ryans stated "Offenses are going to struggle" against the 2026 unit—confidence that Anderson's elite production can be sustained or expanded. (per How Texans' defense plans to be as good, if not better than 2025 unit)

Role / Depth Chart

Starter at edge rusher. Paired with Danielle Hunter as the NFL's top edge duo.

Injury Status

Healthy.

Recent News

2026-05-15 — Bold Predictions for Every Outcome of Colts' Crucial 2026 Campaign (Bold Predictions for Every Outcome of Colts' Crucial 2026 Campaign)
2026-06-11 — NFL 2026 minicamp takeaways: Browns' Deshaun Watson-Shedeur Sanders competition heating up (NFL 2026 minicamp takeaways: Browns' Deshaun Watson-Shedeur Sanders competition heating up)
2026-03-09 — 2026 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Top 250 players (2026 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Top 250 players)
2026-06-09 — Everything Houston Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said following Day 1 of minicamp (Everything Houston Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said following Day 1 of minicamp)
2026-06-05 — Ranking the NFL’s Best Defensive Triplets from 32–1 for 2026 (Ranking the NFL’s Best Defensive Triplets from 32–1 for 2026)
2026-06-04 — Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley discusses relationship with C.J. Stroud (Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley discusses relationship with C.J. Stroud)
2026-06-11 — How Texans' 2026 defense plans to be as good, if not better than 2025 unit (How Texans' 2026 defense plans to be as good, if not better than 2025 unit)
2026-03-26 — Houston Texans Position Outlook: Defensive Line (Houston Texans Position Outlook: Defensive Line)
2026-05-15 — Indianapolis Colts 2026 schedule: Pressure’s on from the start - The Athletic (Indianapolis Colts 2026 schedule: Pressure’s on from the start - The Athletic)
2026-02-25 — Predicting fifth-year option decisions for the 2023 NFL Draft class (Predicting fifth-year option decisions for the 2023 NFL Draft class)

Open Questions

Will Anderson finally claim DPoY honors in 2026 after runner-up finish?