Texans Safety Brandon Hill Suffers Season-Ending Knee Injury

It sounds like Houston Texans safety Brandon Hill’s season is over.

According to KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson, Hill suffered a

“…significant knee injury against the Los Angeles Rams that will end his season, according to league sources.”

Hill, drafted 248th overall in the seventh-round of the 2023 NFL Draft, had been a contributor on Houston’s crowded preseason roster until he was carted off the field at NRG Stadium yesterday:

It’s a particularly disappointing finish after Hill had received more playing time than all of last year. Hill spent his entire rookie season on Houston’s practice squad a never received a preseason snap in 2023. This year, Hill has gotten the opportunity in the preseason and has made it count. In the second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hill made a major impact, recovering a muffed punt in the first quarter and then icing the game in the fourth quarter with an interception. Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised to see him balling out on his collegiate team’s home field…

In Hill’s 84 snaps in the 2024 preseason (52 on defense, 32 on special teams), he recorded five tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery, and PFF defensive grade of 50.6 and special teams grade of 69.0. I was a big fan of Hill while he was playing safety at Pitt; he became a starter in the 2021 season with big shoes to fill, the incredibly successful duo of Damar Hamlin and Paris Ford from 2018-2020 would be very hard to follow up.

But, during Brandon Hill’s years at Pitt, their defense was simply a cut above most ACC opponents. In 2021, he recorded 80 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery on his way to second-team All ACC honors. In 2022, he recorded 67 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, earning honorable mention All-ACC recognition. During Hill’s tenure as a starter, Pitt’s defense ranked 44th in 2021 and 9th in 2022. Yes, you read that right, Pitt’s defense was ranked ninth in the country in 2022!

During the 2023 NFL Draft, Lance Zierlein would write about Hill:

“Aggressive down safety with above-average cover traits but below-average instincts and consistency in run support. Hill is an equal opportunity hitter regardless of position or size of the opponent, but he needs to balance forceful striking with more wrap-up tackling. He is twitchy and plays with closing speed, which might make him a better fit for man coverage than zone, where he struggles to play with awareness and discipline. Hill has the demeanor and skill level to compete for a backup spot and should find special teams snaps early in his NFL career.”

Since his success in college, I’ve been rooting for him to eventually make the Houston Texans roster, I even got a picture of him chasing down Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Scotty Miller at the Texans vs. Steelers preseason game from a few weeks ago!

Now with this significant injury, his chances of staying on the team have unfortunately become slim. We here at Battle Red Blog wish for a swift recovery for Brandon Hill, and we’ll be rooting for his return all the way!