Azeez Al-Shaair

Azeez Al-Shaair

29-Year-Old LinebackerLB
Houston Texans
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Al-Shaair was in some ways the heart of one of the NFL's top defenses last season, as he paced Houston with 103 tackles en route to his first Pro Bowl berth. The veteran linebacker also was more effective than ever against the pass, logging career-best totals of nine defensed passes and two interceptions. The Texans rewarded Al-Shaair for his excellence with a three-year contract extension in the offseason. Al-Shaair had a procedure on his thumb in February, but he should be good to go for the start of the 2026 campaign, when he'll be looked to for a near-every-down role again. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
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IDP
Signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Texans in April of 2026.
Participating in training camp
LBHouston Texans
July 30, 2026
Al-Shaair (thumb) was on the field participating in Thursday's practice, Ashley Landis of hjnews.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Al-Shaair underwent thumb surgery in early February after suffering an injury near the end of the 2025 regular season and then playing through it in the postseason. The starting middle linebacker has returned to team activities armed with a new $54 million deal and a clean bill of health.
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Houston TexansTexans 2025 LB Snap Distribution
#% of Team Snaps

103890%
92680%
81671%
44238%
928%
293%
91%
81%
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2025 Azeez Al-Shaair Split Stats
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Measurables Review
How do Azeez Al-Shaair's measurables compare to other linebackers?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 2"
 
Weight
228 lbs
 
Bench Press
16 reps
 
Hand Length
9.50 in
 
Arm Length
32.38 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Azeez Al-Shaair See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Azeez Al-Shaair See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
2022
Al-Shaair returns to anchor the second level of Houston's defense. After signing a three-year deal prior to the 2024 season, Al-Shaair finished with 70 tackles (seven for losses), seven quarterback hits, 2.0 sacks and two forced-fumbles over 11 games. He missed time with a knee injury and four games while on suspension for hit on a sliding Trevor Lawrence. A team captain, Al-Shaair will patrol the middle and call signals for the defense.
Signing Al-Shaair was the first move the Texans made when free agency opened up in March. In his age-27 season, the linebacker reunites with coach DeMeco Ryans, who served as Al-Shaair's defensive coordinator with the 49ers. He's a durable workhorse with a high motor and finished fifth in the NFL last season with 163 tackles for the Titans. Obviously, Ryans is familiar with all of his skills and plans to install Al-Shaair as the unit's signal-caller and middle linebacker, replacing the departed Blake Cashman.
Al-Shaair spent the first four seasons of his professional career with the 49ers, but he joined the Titans this offseason. He's shown the ability to rack up tackles - he made 102 stops in 2021 - and will be relied upon for a big role in Tennessee after the departure of David Long. The biggest issue for Al-Shaair has been his ability to stay on the field, as he's played only 25 games combined across the last two seasons.
Al-Shaair had a modest breakout season in 2021 while filling in for the injured Dre Greenlaw out of camp. The undrafted Florida Atlantic product started the 13 regular-season games for which he was healthy, finishing with 102 tackles, five passes defended, an interception, two sacks and a forced fumble. Al-Shaair dealt with some minor injuries throughout the year, and he continues to recover from the shoulder and knee surgeries that he underwent this offseason. The starting Will linebacker job alongside Fred Warner will go to either Al-Shaair or fellow currently injured teammate Greenlaw
More Fantasy News
Lands three-year extension
LBHouston Texans
Thumb
April 29, 2026
Al-Shaair (thumb) has a agreed to a three-year extension with the Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Undergoes thumb surgery
LBHouston Texans
Thumb
February 10, 2026
Al-Shaair had thumb surgery Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
ANALYSIS
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Leading tackler in 2025
LBHouston Texans
January 10, 2026
Al-Shaair recorded 103 tackles (48 solo), nine passes defensed (two interceptions), one forced fumble and one recovery over 16 regular-season games in 2025.
ANALYSIS
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Cleared to play Week 18
LBHouston Texans
January 2, 2026
Al-Shaair (knee) does not carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Colts.
ANALYSIS
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Returns to practice Thursday
LBHouston Texans
Knee
January 1, 2026
Al-Shaair (knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
First time on NFL top-100 list
LBHouston Texans
June 27, 2026
Al-Shaair was voted the 92nd-best player in the NFL by his fellow players, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com.
ANALYSIS
It took Al-Shaair seven seasons to finally crack the NFL's top-100 list, but he earned the recognition from his peers with an excellent 2025 regular season, during which Al-Shaair posted a career-high nine passes defensed while surpassing 100 tackles for the third time in his career with 103. The versatile linebacker signed a three-year, $54 million extension with the Texans in April following his excellent campaign as a key cog in one of the NFL's best defenses. He's expected to reprise his role as the starting middle linebacker once he recovers from a thumb injury.
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