HOUSTON, TX — The Houston Texans expected their deep rookie class to fuel another surge in the AFC playoff race, but one seventh-round prospect will not take the field this year — and the reason goes far beyond football.
Houston confirmed that their late-round defensive tackle will miss his entire rookie season after being moved to injured reserve. Officially, the transaction stemmed from a preseason lower-leg injury, but privately, the story is far more human and far more heartbreaking.
Kyonte Hamilton, the Texans’ seventh-round pick out of Rutgers, has stepped away from football to care for his mother as she battles cancer.
Hamilton suffered a setback during joint practices in August and was waived/injured shortly after. He reverted to IR a week later, ending his season before it truly began. But as Hamilton later explained, the injury was only part of the story — family was the rest of it.
“Football has always been my dream. Family has always been my life. And right now, my mom needs me more than the Texans do — and I’m grateful this organization understands and gives me the chance to be there for her,”
Hamilton said in an emotional statement shared with the team.
At 6’4”, 305 pounds with rare quickness for his size, Hamilton was viewed as a developmental interior disruptor — a long-term project with explosive upside. He was penciled in for early special-teams impact and rotational defensive snaps as he grew into NFL speed and technique.
But that journey is now on pause. And across Houston’s locker room, coaches and veterans praised the rookie’s maturity and courage, noting that “Texans culture means valuing the man before the player.”
Head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters the organization fully supports Hamilton’s decision, adding that the door remains open for his return in 2026.
For Texans fans, Hamilton’s rookie season won’t be remembered for tackles or snaps. It will be remembered for something far more meaningful — a young player choosing love, sacrifice, and family above everything else.
And in a league defined by toughness, this may be his strongest moment yet.
