The Houston Texans added quarterback Mark Gronowski to the active roster on Wednesday, elevating the undrafted rookie from the practice squad as they head into Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, via the NFL transaction wire.
The move fills an open spot behind starter C.J. Stroud and backup Davis Mills and gives Houston a third option after preseason injuries thinned the room.
Gronowski, 24, arrived in Houston in early September after the Miami Dolphins released him following training camp. He had signed with Miami as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in May and appeared in two preseason games.
The Texans placed him on the practice squad shortly before the regular season, then brought him up to the 53-man roster on October 7.
He is not expected to challenge Stroud or Mills for snaps, but he gives the staff an emergency quarterback who can be active on game day.
The résumé that made him worth the call was built mostly at South Dakota State. Gronowski started for the Jackrabbits across multiple seasons and helped the program win back-to-back FCS national titles.
In 2023, he won the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS, the first South Dakota State player to receive it.
That season, he also earned FCS Directors Association Offensive Player of the Year honors, Phil Steele FCS Offensive Player of the Year recognition, and first-team All-America notices from the Associated Press, Stats Perform, and Walter Camp.
He was Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year in both 2020-21 and 2023, and earlier in his career he was Phil Steele’s FCS Freshman of the Year and the MVFC Newcomer and Freshman of the Year.
He finished his college career with 12,049 passing yards, 103 touchdown passes, and 27 interceptions, completing about 63.7 percent of his attempts.
He was also a legitimate runner, with more than 2,300 rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns.
Between South Dakota State and a final season at Iowa, where he helped the Hawkeyes to a 9-4 record and a Reliaquest Bowl win, he became the NCAA’s all-time leader in wins by a quarterback with 58. He was also the East-West Shrine Bowl offensive MVP.
Houston’s need for depth became clear when Graham Mertz tore his ACL in the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Gronowski’s combination of winning experience, dual-threat production, and size — listed around 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds — is what the Texans are betting on while he learns the offense behind Stroud and Mills.
