E.J.
Speed
LB
#45
E.J. Speed
#45LB
Houston Texans
Height : 6' 4" · Weight : 227 lbs · Age : 31
NFL record
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF | FR | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Houston Texans | 16 | 62 | 33 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Indianapolis Colts | 15 | 142 | 93 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Indianapolis Colts | 16 | 102 | 78 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Indianapolis Colts | 17 | 63 | 37 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Indianapolis Colts | 17 | 31 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Indianapolis Colts | 15 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Indianapolis Colts | 12 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Contract
Houston Texans payroll →- 2026 cap number
- 3.99 M$
- Average per year
- 5.00 M$
- Total value
- 10.0 M$
- Seasons left
- 2 · through 2027
- Status
- Physically unable to perform
2026
3.99 M$
Not guaranteed
2027
6.00 M$
Partially guaranteed
Cap number: the season's salary plus the share of the signing bonus spread over the contract. Total value and average per year cover the whole contract, from its signing.
Advanced stats, 2025 Linebackers
NFL stats →2025 season. The percentile ranks the player among regular linebackers: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Tackles
60
35th percentile
Tackles for loss
3
16th percentile
Sacks
0.0
6th percentile
Pressures
3
12th percentile
Interceptions
0
30th percentile
Passes defended
1
17th percentile
Yards allowed per target
5.2 yd
76th percentile
Passer rating allowed
85.6
64th percentile
Missed tackle rate
8.8 %
40th percentile
Defensive snaps
429
0th percentile
Regular season. Data: nflverse (play-by-play, snap counts), Next Gen Stats, Pro Football Reference. EPA: expected points added. CPOE: completion percentage over expected.
2026 projection
NFL trends →Projected WAR
0.2
Games
16
WAR 2025
0.2
Games played
16
The pace of the last three seasons (WAR per game, 60/25/15), pulled toward the group average, over the games expected from his availability in the last two, adjusted for age.
Trend
→ Stable (+2)
- 20220.3 WAR · 0.018 per game
- 20230.5 WAR · 0.031 per game
- 20240.1 WAR · 0.007 per game
- 20250.2 WAR · 0.013 per game
The trend compares this season's WAR per game with last season's, weighted by games played.
Outlook, age included
-13 · 30 y.o. · the age when performance usually declines
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2025
All ratings →Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
82
Very good
- TCK
- Tackling
- 76
- COV
- Coverage
- 84
- RDF
- Run defense
- 84
- PRS
- Pass rush
- 57
- DUR
- Durability
- 75
- EX
- Experience
- 70
Why these ratings?Hide details
- TCK — Tackling : Tackles made and missed tackles
- COV — Coverage : Yards and passer rating allowed per target
- RDF — Run defense : Run tackles and tackles for loss, per snap
- PRS — Pass rush : Pressures, sacks and QB hits, per snap
- DUR — Durability : Games played out of his team's, over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NFL
WAR and PAL Rating, 2025
How we rate →WAR: the EPA (expected points added) of every play, above replacement level, shared among those who made it, then converted to wins (35.3 points = one win). PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
WAR
0.2
PAL Rating
59 / 100
Value Rating · 2025
59 / 100
2025 PAL (59) against 2026 salary: the contract's average per year (APY), $5.0M.PAL expected for this salary: 45PAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from (in wins)
Half the EPA of his sacks, interceptions, passes defended, forced fumbles, tackles for loss and QB hits, against his position's average per snap.
Yards allowed per target against his position's average, 0.12 points per yard (measured).
Replacement level: the share of defense the league spends on his position (by payroll), prorated by snaps.
How much better or worse than average his team's defense was (EPA allowed), minus what is already credited to players, prorated by snaps.
The individual part is splash plays and coverage. The rest is the position share and his team's defense, split by snaps played.
| Season | Team | G | WAR | PAL | OV | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | HOU | 16 | 0.2 | 59 | 82 | 60 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | IND | 15 | 0.1 | 22 | 74 | 131 | 7 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 2023 | IND | 16 | 0.5 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 9 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | IND | 17 | 0.3 | 100 | 88 | 58 | 6 | 1.0 | 0 |
E.J. Speed in five questions
What are E.J. Speed's stats in 2025?
E.J. Speed has 0 sacks and 2 QB hits in 16 games in 2025.
How old and how tall is E.J. Speed?
E.J. Speed is 31 years old. He is 6'4" (193 cm) and weighs 227 lb (103 kg).
How good is E.J. Speed?
E.J. Speed produced 0.2 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025. His PAL rating is 59 out of 100: around average for his position.
How much does E.J. Speed make?
E.J. Speed earns $5.0M for the 2025 season. His Value Rating is 59 out of 100 (good value): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
What number does E.J. Speed wear, and what team does he play for?
E.J. Speed plays for Houston Texans in the NFL, at LB, and wears number 45.
