Veteran cornerback Ronald Darby has informed the Houston Texans that he is retiring from the NFL.
The Texans placed Darby on the reserve/retired list Monday.
Darby, 31, had signed a one-year contract in March with the Texans as a free agent after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He started 12 games for the Jaguars in 2024 in his only season for the franchise.
Darby was expected to be a veteran backup to the Texans' starting cornerback duo of Kamari Lassiter and All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. and his retirement does add a hole to the depth of the group. Darby had 107 career starts in the NFL while the rest of Houston's non-starters have 25 combined.
The backup group features veterans Myles Bryant, D'Angelo Ross, and Tremon Smith followed by third-round rookie Jaylin Smith and undrafted free agent Alijah Huzzie.
The Texans' starting cornerbacks have been prone to miss time in their history. Even though Stingley played every game in 2024, he played in only 20 of his first 34 games. Lassiter missed three games (shoulder and concussion) during his rookie year. So, the loss of Darby could slightly affect the team if Houston loses a starter for any amount of time.
Darby, a second-round draft pick out of Florida State by the Buffalo Bills in 2015, finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting that season after starting 15 games and finishing with two interceptions and 68 tackles.
He also was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl LII-winning squad, although his season ended in November because of a torn ACL.
In all, Darby played in 118 games over 10 NFL seasons for the Bills, Eagles, Washington, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and Jaguars.
He finishes his career with eight interceptions, 106 passes defended and 447 tackles.
ESPN's Adam Schefter and DJ Bien-Aime contributed to this report.
