The Houston Texans entered the final stretch of the preseason already thin along the defensive line, and Friday night only added to the concern.

Solomon Byrd, a 26-year-old edge rusher trying to carve out a roster spot, left the field after a pair of incidents that left the team’s depth at the position looking even more fragile.

Byrd first appeared to take a poke in the eye. He returned to the action, only to be rolled up on by teammate Kaevon Merriweather a short time later.

He walked off under his own power and headed to the medical tent, receiving encouragement from head coach DeMeco Ryans and star edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. as he did so. The sequence was another unwelcome chapter for a unit that observers have already described as destroyed by injuries.

Dylan Horton and Ali Gaye are both out for the season. Jadeveon Clowney has missed several practices with a leg issue, and fellow offseason addition Logan Hall has also been limited since arriving.

That leaves the Texans potentially heading into Week 1 with Hall as the primary backup behind Anderson and Danielle Hunter. The club has already signed former Jacksonville Jaguar Derek Parish in an attempt to add bodies, but the timing of Byrd’s latest setback is poorly timed given how well he had been playing.

A seventh-round pick in 2024, selected 238th overall, Byrd has appeared in just one regular-season game so far, recording two tackles and a pass deflection while playing 20 of his 21 defensive snaps.

In Friday’s preseason contest he and fellow depth piece Sebastian Harsh had been among the more noticeable reserves before the injuries piled up. The Texans ultimately fell 16-13, dropping to 0-3 in the preseason for the first time under Ryans.

The priority remains keeping Anderson and Hunter healthy. Those two form the foundation of the pass rush, and any drop-off in their availability would expose just how thin the room has become.

Depth pieces are supposed to absorb the physical toll of training camp and preseason games so the starters can stay fresh. Instead the Texans keep losing those pieces, forcing the coaching staff to search for answers on the fly.

Whether Byrd’s latest issue proves minor or more serious will become clearer in the coming days. For now it is another reminder that the Texans’ defensive line is operating with little margin for error as the regular season approaches.

The front office and coaching staff will have to decide quickly how much risk they are willing to accept at a position that has already absorbed more than its share of bad luck.