Houston Texans linebacker Brooks Reed has described three of his teammates being cut for violating team rules as "unfortunate".

Rookies Sam Montgomery, Cierre Wood and Willie Jefferson were all released by head coach Gary Kubiak for reportedly smoking marijuana in their hotel room ahead of Sunday's match against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The agent of Jefferson has denied that illegal drugs were involved, but Reed believes that whatever happened, the trio have blown the chance of their lives.

"I don't understand why they did it. They had the opportunity of their lives and they just kind of threw it away. I don't have too much to say about it," Reed told reporters.

"It's really unfortunate. We lost a lot of depth for that game. They were great players and they had a lot of potential. We're just going to find more guys that are more dedicated to the cause."

The Texans went on to lose 17-16 to the Chiefs, making it five games without a win for Kubiak's side.