Profile updated October 2, 2026: Will Anderson Jr. is a Houston Texans defensive end selected third overall in 2023 from Alabama. He won AP Defensive Rookie of the Year after a seven-sack debut season, then reached double figures in each of the next two years.
From Alabama to a franchise rookie record
Anderson finished his Alabama career with 34.5 sacks and 62 tackles for loss. In Houston, he recorded a sack in his NFL debut against Baltimore and finished 2023 with seven, setting the Texans’ rookie season record. His first postseason appearance also included a sack in the win over Cleveland.
How his pass-rush production has grown
His regular-season sack totals rose from seven in 2023 to 11 in 2024 and 12 in 2025. Through three games of 2026, he had four, including 2.5 at Indianapolis. Alongside Danielle Hunter, that gives Houston two established edge rushers with consecutive double-digit seasons entering 2026.
What is Anderson’s status against Dallas?
Anderson was limited Wednesday with an ankle issue, then practiced fully Thursday and Friday. Houston gave him no game designation for October 4. That differs from the questionable designation carried by fellow defensive linemen Jadeveon Clowney and Logan Hall.
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
League ranks3rd in sacks (4)
LAST AVAILABLE UPDATEUpdated Oct 8, 2026, 11:20 pm EDT
2026 regular season (weeks 1–5) · Only recorded categories appear.
Defense
Will Anderson Jr. · Defense · 2026 regular season (weeks 1–5)
Tackles
Solo tackles
Defensive sacks
18
10
4.0
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) 7 tackles, 2.5 sacks
LIVE DATAUpdated Sep 28, 2026, 11:45 am EDT
2026 regular season (weeks 1–3) · 3 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
2023
HOU
15
45
29
16
7
0
0
0
0
0
—
0
0
1
10.5
14
1
2024
HOU
14
37
27
10
11
1
1
0
0
0
—
0
0
2
11
16
0
2025
HOU
17
54
35
19
12
3
2
0
0
0
—
0
0
3
10.5
34
0
2026
HOU
4
23
13
10
4.5
1
1
0
0
0
—
0
0
1
4.5
13
1
Recorded total
1 known team
50
159
104
55
34.5
5
4
0
0
0
—
0
0
7
36.5
77
2
Passing by season
Season
Team
GP
CMP
ATT
CMP%
YDS
AVG
TD
INT
LNG
SACK
RTG
QBR
2026
HOU
4
0
0
—
0
—
0
0
0
0
—
—
Recorded total
1 known team
4
0
0
—
0
—
0
0
0
0
—
—
2026 splits
2026 splits
Split
Tackles
Sacks
PD
Home
16
2
1
Away
7
2.5
0
1st half
9
2.5
1
2nd half
14
2
0
4th quarter
7
1
0
Close games, 4th quarter
3
1
0
Losses
23
4.5
1
Checked Oct 5, 2026. Rows with no recorded production are omitted.
Selected and organized by WHYNFL. Dataset updated Sep 30, 2026, 6:49 am EDT. Historical selections do not establish a player’s current team.
Depth-chart listings
Dated source rankings, not confirmation of starting status or game-day availability.
Houston Texans depth chart: Left Defensive End · Base 4-3 D · listed order 1. Observed Oct 10, 2026, 3:18 pm EDT.
Refreshed every six hours. Follow the team link for the full chart.
Social updates
AI-assisted summaries from source-linked public accounts. This is a dated snapshot with partial coverage, not a live feed or independently confirmed news. Read the original posts for full context.
Anderson cheers let's go, calls something dirty, tagged the Texans with Madden 23, said he was ready to join the Texans family, and told grandma they won the national title.
@will_anderson28 public X post · Apr 27, 2023, 11:44 pm EDT
H-Town! I couldn't be more ready to join the Texans family. It's time to get to work 💪 #WeAreTexans 🤝 @HoustonTexans #NFLDraft Check out my 1st Panini Instant Rookie card here!…
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Social updates
AI-assisted summaries from source-linked public accounts. This is a dated snapshot with partial coverage, not a live feed or independently confirmed news. Read the original posts for full context.
X@will_anderson285 source-linked posts · Dated snapshot
Source checked Sep 20, 2026, 9:59 am EDT
Anderson cheers let's go, calls something dirty, tagged the Texans with Madden 23, said he was ready to join the Texans family, and told grandma they won the national title.
Open original profile ↗
photo · May 24, 2024, 4:32 pm EDT
He posts a stretched let's-go cheer.
Open original: photo · May 24, 2024, 4:32 pm EDT ↗
text · Sep 30, 2023, 9:43 pm EDT
He laughing calls something dirty.
Open original: text · Sep 30, 2023, 9:43 pm EDT ↗
text · Apr 27, 2023, 11:45 pm EDT
He cheers let's go Houston Texans, tagging Madden 23.
Open original: text · Apr 27, 2023, 11:45 pm EDT ↗
photo · Apr 27, 2023, 11:44 pm EDT
He said he could not be more ready to join the Texans family and pointed to a first Panini Instant rookie card.
Open original: photo · Apr 27, 2023, 11:44 pm EDT ↗
text · Jan 12, 2021, 12:59 am EST
He tells grandma they did it and won the natty, tagging Roll Tide.
Open original: text · Jan 12, 2021, 12:59 am EST ↗