Detroit Lions and Houston Texans players: who played for both

Who played for both the Lions and Texans?

49 players were on both the Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans rosters between 1960 and 2026, including Josh Johnson, Josh McCown, Andre Roberts and Danny Amendola. 23 of them were with the Lions first and 23 with the Texans first; 3 joined both in the same season.

Did you know?

  • Matt Murphy is the earliest on this list to complete the pair: Lions first, then the Texans from 2003.
  • Juice Scruggs is the most recent: Texans first, then the Lions from 2026.
  • Glover Quin spent the most seasons across the two: 6 with the Lions and 4 with the Texans.
  • 4 of them had two or more separate spells with one of the teams, such as Dan Orlovsky.
  • Most common positions on this list: WR (7), QB (6), OL (6), DB (6).

How many can you name?

Name players who were on both the Lions and the Texans. The surname is enough. 0 / 49

All 49 players, most seasons first

Seasons on each roster (1960–2026). A gap of a season or more starts a new spell.
PlayerPosLionsTexans
Josh JohnsonQB20192017
Josh McCownQB20062020
Andre RobertsWR20162021
Danny AmendolaWR2019–20202021
Dan OrlovskyQB2005–2008, 2014–20162009–2010
Ephraim SalaamT20092006–2009
Laken TomlinsonOL2015–20162025
DJ ReaderDL2024–20252016–2019
Jalen MillsDB2025–20262025
Jeff GarciaQB20052011
Moran NorrisFB20082002–2005
Glover QuinSS2013–20182009–2012
Jeff DriskelQB20192021–2022
Oday AboushiOL2019–20202015–2016
Phillip BuchanonCB20092005–2006
Bryant JohnsonWR2009–20102011
Corey BradfordWR20062002–2005
Evan BrownOL2020–20222026
Jalen Reeves-MaybinLB2017–2021, 2023–20242022
Johnson BademosiDB20162018
Justin ForsettRB20162012
Kerry HyderDL2015–20182023
Kyle AllenQB20252022
Zach CunninghamLB20252017–2021
C.J. Gardner-JohnsonDB20232025
Dan SkipperOL2017, 2019–20252019
Darren FellsTE2017, 20212019–2020
David MontgomeryRB2023–20252026
Devin WhiteLB20262024
Ezekiel TurnerLB2024–20252024
Jamar FletcherCB20062007
Shaun CodyNT2005–20082009–2012
C.C. BrownFS20102005–2008
Cre'von LeBlancDB20182021
Jeff OkudahDB2020–20222024
Joel HeathDL20212016–2019
Marcus CromartieDB20182017
Matt MurphyTE20022003–2005
Roy LopezDL20252021–2023
Bruce EllingtonWR20182017–2018
Damone ClarkLB20262025
Dexter WynnCB20082006–2007
Johnthan BanksCB20162017
Juice ScruggsOL20262023–2025
Andy JonesWR2017–20182017
Dominik EberleK20222021
Dorin DickersonWR20132010
Eric LeeDL20182016
Beau BenzschawelOL20192020

From the nflverse roster files (CC BY 4.0), refreshed 2026-10-06. A season counts when the player was on the roster: from 2002 on, at least one regular-season or playoff week as active, injured reserve or inactive (practice squad alone does not count); 1960–2001 use the season rosters.Texans seasons start in 2002; the Houston Oilers (1960–96) are Titans seasons.

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More “played for both” lists

Detroit Lions and…

Colts 117Cardinals 116Browns 111Saints 111Falcons 110Dolphins 109Rams 108Seahawks 107Commanders 10649ers 105

Houston Texans and…

Browns 90Titans 75Dolphins 66Commanders 65Patriots 64Jaguars 63Jets 61Bills 60Broncos 60Bears 59

All team pairs

Questions

How many players have played for both the Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans?

49 in the nflverse roster files from 1960 to 2026, including Josh Johnson, Josh McCown, Andre Roberts and Danny Amendola. Players whose time with one of the teams was practice squad only, or before 1960, are not counted.

Who was the first player on this list to play for both?

Matt Murphy: Detroit Lions first, then the Houston Texans from 2003.

Who has played for both recently?

Laken Tomlinson, DJ Reader, Jalen Mills, Evan Brown, Kyle Allen and Zach Cunningham and 8 more, with a season on one of the two rosters in 2025 or 2026.

Does a player count if the team has moved or changed its name?

Yes. Seasons count for today's franchise, the way the league keeps team history. Texans seasons start in 2002; the Houston Oilers (1960–96) are Titans seasons.

Rosters from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). Team logos are trademarks of their respective teams (logos via TheSportsDB). Independent and not affiliated with the NFL or any team. Credits