After paying his dues, Mark Gronowski was finally added to a 53-man roster.
Gronowski is one of the most productive college quarterbacks ever, with 12,071 passing yards and 103 passing touchdowns, and a 63.5 completion rate. He also compiled 2,312 rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns, including an Iowa program-record 16 rushing scores last season. Gronowski inexplicably went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, but was a hot commodity before ultimately signing with the Miami Dolphins. His short NFL career has taken many turns, but all his hard work has finally paid off.
The Houston Texans signed Mark Gronowski to the active roster before Week 5
Gronowski's interesting NFL journey has finally slowed after a tumultuous start, and he has one of the more intriguing career arcs before he plays an official NFL game. His early-career timeline is listed below:
- Signed with the Miami Dolphins as an UDFA (May 11, 2026)
- Waived by the Miami Dolphins (August 7, 2026)
- Re-signs with Miami on a one-year, $885K non-guaranteed deal (August 16, 2026)
- Waived by Miami for a second time (August 30, 2026)
- Re-signs with Miami's practice squad after clearing waivers (August 31, 2026)
- Released from Miami's practice squad (September 1, 2026)
- Signed to the Houston Texans practice squad (September 8, 2026)
After a long and winding road to the Houston Texans, his perseverance has finally paid off.
We have signed Mark Gronowski and made other roster moves. pic.twitter.com/G17yuEpG8N
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 7, 2026
The Texans announced they have signed Mark Gronowski to the active roster ahead of their Week 5 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, giving Gronowski the chance he's finally been waiting for. The road to a 53-man roster has been long, and while Gronowski isn't guaranteed any playing time, he's done enough to convince the organization that he is worthy of a roster spot. The Texans have an open roster spot, but with starter C.J. Stroud off to a solid start and Davis Mills locked in as the primary backup, Gronowski is unlikely to play unless there is an injury.
The Texans have started the season 0-4 and have struggled on both sides of the ball. The offense hasn't been good, and the defense has somehow been worse. Under DeMeco Ryans, the Texans' defense has been elite, but that hasn't been the case this season. Signing Gronowski was an interesting move and likely won't move the needle this season, but they wanted him on the active roster. He could easily be used in some running packages to keep the defense off guard or spark the offense, but it remains to be seen how, or if, he will be used.
For now, all Hawkeye fans are happy that Gronowski has finally gotten a chance after being in a horrible situation with the Miami Dolphins. Hopefully, we can see him get into a game sooner rather than later. Gronowski had a productive 2025 season for the Hawkeyes, setting multiple program records for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season (545) and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season (16), electrifying the Kinnick Stadium crowd.
The Texans wouldn't have signed him to the active roster for no reason, and it would be amazing to see him get some game action as a rookie.
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