A three-school college receiver who broke out with a 156-yard debut at Texas Tech before signing on with the Texans as an undrafted free agent.
Josh Kelly is a well-traveled wideout who found his best college form after two transfers, closing out his eligibility with a Second-team All-Big 12 season at Texas Tech. He went undrafted in 2025 and is now working to carve out a role in Houston's receiver room.
Path to the league
Kelly began his college career at Fresno State from 2019 to 2022, catching 87 passes for 1,305 yards over four seasons and earning Mountain West honorable mention honors. He transferred to Washington State for 2023, where he caught 61 passes for 923 yards and eight touchdowns, then moved on to Texas Tech for his final season in 2024. He opened that season with a 10-catch, 156-yard, one-touchdown performance and went on to earn Second-team All-Big 12 honors.
Career highlights
Kelly's best individual game came against Oregon State while at Washington State in 2023, when he caught eight passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Across three college stops, he totaled well over 3,200 receiving yards, showing consistent production wherever he played.
2025 season recap
Kelly went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent before being released on August 25, 2025. He joined the Houston Texans' practice squad three days later and signed a reserve/future contract with the club on January 20, 2026, continuing his push for a regular-season roster spot.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Josh Kelly (American football)
- ESPN: Josh Kelly
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Wide Receiver
- Group
- offense
- College
- Texas Tech
- Hometown
- Fresno, CA, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
