Profile updated October 2, 2026: Danielle Hunter is a Houston Texans defensive end who arrived in 2024 after building his NFL career with Minnesota. His experience complements Will Anderson Jr. on Houston’s defensive front.
How did Hunter reach the Texans?
Minnesota selected Hunter 88th overall in the 2015 draft from LSU. He recorded 14.5 sacks in both 2018 and 2019, then delivered 16.5 in his final Vikings season in 2023. Houston signed him as an unrestricted free agent on March 14, 2024.
What has he produced in Houston?
Hunter started all 17 regular-season games in both 2024 and 2025. He recorded 12 sacks in his first Texans season and 15 in his second. Combined with Anderson’s 11 and 12, respectively, the pair accounted for 23 sacks in 2024 and 27 in 2025. These are regular-season sums, not team totals or postseason figures.
Where does his 2026 season stand?
Through three games, Hunter had 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. His career regular-season sack total stood at 116. The season remains a small sample compared with the two complete Houston years above.
For the next opponent and Houston’s wider defensive availability, use the Cowboys–Texans game center and dated Texans injury report. Those team updates should not be read as a new injury designation for Hunter.
Roster observations
UPDATEDUpdated Oct 4, 2026, 9:11 am EDT
Selected report: Houston Texans · Active roster · Season 2026
Dated roster observations; not a complete career or transaction history
Observation window
Record date
Team
Roster status
Effective date
Record
Season 2026 · Week 4
Oct 4, 2026, 9:11 am EDT Updated
Houston Texans
Active roster
Not supplied
Weekly roster
Season 2026 · Week 3
Oct 4, 2026, 9:11 am EDT Updated
Houston Texans
Active roster
Not supplied
Weekly roster
Season 2026 · Week 2
Oct 4, 2026, 9:11 am EDT Updated
Houston Texans
Active roster
Not supplied
Weekly roster
Season 2026 · Week 1
Oct 4, 2026, 9:11 am EDT Updated
Houston Texans
Active roster
Not supplied
Weekly roster
Dated observation
Sep 20, 2026, 7:00 am EDT Observed
Houston Texans
Active roster
Not supplied
Dated roster
Weekly rows describe the supplied week, not a dated transaction. Observed dates show when a record was checked, not when a contract or roster move took effect. Conflicting records remain separate. Only retained observations are shown; game-day status belongs to the availability report.
Season statistics
LAST AVAILABLE UPDATEUpdated Oct 8, 2026, 11:20 pm EDT
2026 regular season (weeks 1–5) · Only recorded categories appear.
Defense
Danielle Hunter · Defense · 2026 regular season (weeks 1–5)
Tackles
Solo tackles
Defensive sacks
6
2
0.5
These are recorded player totals for the stated season. An absent category is not a zero. Games played and career totals are not inferred. Browse player statistics
Game log
Most recent recorded game2026 Week 3 @ IND (L 17–19) 6 tackles, 0.5 sacks
LIVE DATAUpdated Sep 28, 2026, 11:45 am EDT
2026 regular season (weeks 3–3) · 1 supplied game records
Open a category to compare games. These records do not establish total appearances or inactive status. — means the category or value is not supplied. Game links appear where a verified Game Center is available.
Regular-season records. Totals use each recorded season once, even when team splits and a combined row are both shown. Rates are recalculated from the counted totals. A dash means a value is missing or cannot be calculated reliably; these records do not establish complete career coverage. The current-season row is as of the update time above and can differ from the season statistics section, which adds up box scores through the latest recorded final.
Defense by season
Season
Team
GP
TOT
SOLO
AST
SACK
FF
FR
YDS
INT
YDS
AVG
TD
LNG
PD
STF
STFYDS
KB
2015
MIN
14
33
29
4
6
1
0
0
0
0
—
0
0
0
3
9
0
2016
MIN
16
56
34
22
12.5
1
1
24
0
0
—
0
0
1
1
1
0
2017
MIN
16
45
27
18
7
1
1
0
0
0
—
0
0
2
4
8
0
2018
MIN
16
71
51
20
14.5
0
1
32
0
0
—
0
0
0
7
13
0
2019
MIN
16
70
52
18
14.5
3
1
4
0
0
—
0
0
0
4
6
0
2021
MIN
7
38
23
15
6
0
0
0
0
0
—
0
0
0
3
0
0
2022
MIN
17
65
46
19
10.5
1
0
0
0
0
—
0
0
3
4.5
8
0
2023
MIN
17
83
54
29
16.5
4
0
0
0
0
—
0
0
2
9
26
0
2024
HOU
17
46
31
15
12
1
0
0
0
0
—
0
0
3
6.5
17
0
2025
HOU
17
54
28
26
15
3
1
0
0
0
—
0
0
3
5.5
4
0
2026
HOU
4
9
3
6
2
1
0
0
0
0
—
0
0
3
0.5
0
0
Recorded total
2 known teams
157
570
378
192
116.5
16
5
60
0
0
—
0
0
17
48
92
0
2026 splits
2026 splits
Split
Tackles
Sacks
PD
Home
3
1.5
2
Away
6
0.5
1
1st half
5
1
1
2nd half
2
0.5
2
4th quarter
0
0
1
Close games, 4th quarter
0
0
1
Losses
7
1.5
3
Checked Oct 5, 2026. Rows with no recorded production are omitted.
