According to reports, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-round pick Chris Braswell has been waived by the Houston Texans. 

Braswell, selected by the Bucs with the 57th overall pick in 2024, has yet to get his NFL career off the ground and is now looking for another opportunity. 

Being a second-round pick who is searching for his third team in only 2-plus seasons in the league shows just how disappointing Braswell has been so far. 

After a standout college career at Alabama, Tampa drafted Braswell with the expectation that he would become a key component of the team’s pass rush. 

Unfortunately for Braswell and the Bucs, he was never able to make an impact during his time in Tampa. In his two seasons, Braswell appeared in all 34 games, but never earned a start. He recorded only 48 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, five TFLs, and a single forced fumble. 

All of the additions Tampa made to its defensive front seven in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft meant Braswell would have to impress this offseason to keep his roster spot. 

Braswell couldn’t show enough to justify a spot on the team and was part of Tampa’s cuts when the team created its initial 53-man roster. 

Only two years after viewing Braswell as a young building block of the defense, the Bucs decided to move on. 

The Texans, who already boasted a defense many believed was the best in the NFL, gave Braswell a chance for a fresh start, hoping a change of scenery would jump-start his career. Houston originally added Braswell to its practice squad before signing him to the active roster later in September. 

However, Braswell wasn’t able to make an impact in Houston. He never appeared in a game for the Texans and was inactive for Houston’s Week 5 game against the Tennessee Titans. 

On Tuesday, the Texans became the second team to give up on Braswell, who now has to find another team willing to take a chance on his talent. 

Final Thoughts

Braswell is still only 24 years old, so there is still plenty of time for him to turn his career around. 

There will likely be no shortage of teams willing to roll the dice on a 24-year-old who was a second-round pick only two years ago.  

No matter what team Braswell winds up on next, he will have to show a lot more than he has to this point in his career to stick. 

Hopefully, Braswell will land with a team with a coaching staff that can unlock the potential that made him such a highly touted prospect.