- Cornerback Kevin Johnson is expected to return to action following the Texans‘ Week 7 bye, head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Johnson went down with a sprained MCL in mid-September, but Houston’s depth in the secondary has managed to keep its defense afloat, and the team currently ranks 11th in pass defense DVOA. Injuries have ruined each of Johnson’s past two seasons (he managed only six games in 2016), but the former first-round pick has been extremely effective when on the field.
- The Seahawks are making a concerted effort to improve their O-line via trade, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who says the team is focused on landing disgruntled Texans star Duane Brown. We heard last week that the Texans intend to retain Brown, but that could always change if Seattle’s offer is strong enough.
Here are today’s minor moves.
- Jack Mewhort‘s IR trip prompted the Colts to look outside the organization for help. They signed guard Isaiah Williams off the Chiefs‘ practice squad. Williams failed to make the Redskins’ roster out of camp in each of the past two summers but caught on with the Chiefs earlier this season. He’s yet to play in a regular-season game.
- Chris Conley‘s nationally televised Achilles’ tendon rupture sent the third-year wide receiver to IR, and the Chiefs replaced him on the roster with practice squad wideout Marcus Kemp. The Chiefs signed Kemp as a UDFA out of Hawaii in May and stashed him on their practice squad after the preseason.
- The Raiders will bring their 2016 third-round pick back to the active roster, re-signing linebacker Shilique Calhoun and placing cornerback Antonio Hamilton on IR, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets. Hamilton underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus. The second-year player played in four games this season for the Raiders, primarily as a special-teamer. Calhoun played in 10 Oakland games last season but landed on the team’s practice squad to start this campaign.
- The 49ers promoted tight end Cole Hikutini to their active roster from the practice squad. A rookie UDFA out of Louisville, Hikutini’s resided in San Francisco’s practice squad since the preseason concluded. Hikutini will take NaVorro Bowman‘s roster spot.
- The Texans cut safety Marcus Cromartie and replaced him with practice squad safety Kurtis Drummond, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. Cromartie played the past three seasons as 49ers depth piece. Although Drummond played in four Houston games this season, the team cut him to make room for waiver claim Ben Heeney last week.
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted to active roster: WR Tanner Gentry
- Released: WR Deonte Thompson
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Justin March-Lillard
Houston Texans
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Whitney Mercilus (story), DL J.J. Watt (story)
- Signed off Cardinals‘ practice squad: OL Dorian Johnson
Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky has announced his retirement in a piece for Sports Spectrum.
Orlovsky, 34, entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of UConn in 2005. He participated in two separate stints with the Lions — the club that drafted him — and is perhaps best-known for his seven-game run as a starter for Detroit in 2008. After one season with the Texans, Orlovsky started five games for the Colts in 2011 before landing with the Buccaneers from 2012-13 and re-joining the Lions in 2015.
Orlovsky inked a deal with the Rams this summer, but he was released after losing out to Sean Mannion in the Los Angeles backup quarterback battle. The Rams ultimately brought in a third quarterback — former Jaguars draft pick Brandon Allen — off waivers just days after cutting Orlovsky.
PFR extends its best wishes to Orlovsky in retirement.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- DT Mike Purcell; CBs Trevin Wade, B.W. Webb (link)
Buffalo Bills
- DBs Lonnie Ballentine, Antone Exum (link via Adam Caplan)
Detroit Lions
- DT Will Sutton (link via Caplan)
Green Bay Packers
- WR Tevaun Smith; G Cameron Hunt; DL Sean Daniels; DBs Charlie Miller, Ahmad Thomas (link via Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com)
Houston Texans
- QB Connor Shaw; WRs Rivers Cracraft, Paul Turner; T Steven Moore; DBs J.R. Nelson, Marcus Sayles (link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RB Lamar Atkins; FB Glenn Gronkowski; C Taylor Boggs; DBs Anthony Cioffi, K.J. Dillon (link)
Oakland Raiders
- DEs Sterling Bailey, Patrick Gamble, Jaye Howard; DT Toby Johnson (link)
Seattle Seahawks
- T Andrew Lauderdale; LB Josh Forrest (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LBs Johnathan Calvin, Jayrone Elliott; DE Cashaud Lyons (link)
The Texans didn’t stop after reaching an agreement with free agent defensive lineman Kendall Langford earlier tonight — they’re also planning to sign linebacker/defensive end Lamarr Houston, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26.
Although the Texans lost two of their best defenders — J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus — to season-ending injuries on Sunday night, they’re still firmly in the AFC South race. They sit alongside the Colts and Titans at 2-3, and all those clubs are one game behind the division-leading Jaguars. With one fell swoop, the Texans have now added two veteran defensive players who between them offer 225 games of NFL experience.
Houston, 30, was never able to stay fully healthy after inking a five-year, $35MM contract with Chicago prior to the 2014 campaign. In three seasons with the Bears, the 30-year-old Houston appeared in just 26 of a possible 48 games and made only 10 starts. He managed nine total sacks in Chicago, but eight of those came in 2015, his only healthy year with the Bears.
Houston, who was in town today to work out for the Texans, has been busy since being released by Chicago last month. In addition to the Texans, he’d met with or auditioned for the Patriots, Saints, and Buccaneers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Texans are in agreement with free agent defensive lineman Kendall Langford, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).
After losing both J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus to season-ending injuries in Week 5, Houston had widened its search for defensive front reinforcements in recent days. Veteran edge defenders Lamarr Houston and Tyson Jackson were in town for workouts today, while the Texans also looked at linebacker Jayrone Elliott, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
No freely available player — including Langford — is going to replace Watt or Mercilus, who are arguably Houston’s best pass rushers. But Langford, who at 6’5″, 275 pounds should be able to play at both end and tackle in the Texans’ 3-4 scheme, will be able to add depth and experience to a defensive unit that ranked fourth in DVOA heading into Week 5.
Langford, 31, offers a wealth of NFL history, as he’s appeared in 135 games (113 starts) during his nine-year pro career. In 2016, Langford lasted just seven games before the Colts placed him on injured reserve with a knee injury that had bothered him since a 2015 arthroscopic operation. All told, Langford played 301 snaps and tallied 10 tackles. Notably, he failed to register a sack for just the second time in his and the first time since 2011.
Along with the Colts, Langford has also suited up for Miami (2008-11) and St. Louis (2012-14). He’s been employed this season, as well, as he bounced on-and-off the Saints’ roster but never actually appeared in a game for New Orleans.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LS Justin Drescher
- Placed on injured reserve: LS Aaron Brewer
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted to active roster: DT Taniela Tupou
Cleveland Browns
- Released from IR: T Matt McCants
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers: CB Marcus Williams
- Released: CB Johnthan Banks, T Jah Reid
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released from IR: CB Josh Johnson
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: LB Gabe Martin
New York Giants
- Promoted to active roster: WR Ed Eagan
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB Demetrius McCray
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: CB Asa Jackson
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has been ruled out for next Monday night’s game against Tennessee, coach Chuck Pagano tells reporters. The Colts are still waiting for Luck to make his 2017 debut but publicly they have been insistent that he will play at some point. Over the weekend we learned that Luck is at least a month away from playing.
Here’s more from the AFC South:
- Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt is facing a lengthy recovery for his tibial plateau fracture, but the good news is that he did not suffer ligament damage, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (on Twitter). The Houston star will miss the remainder of the 2017 season, meaning that he will have missed 24 games over the past two regular seasons. Before that, Watt earned Pro Bowl trips and first-team All-Pro honors in every campaign from 2012-2015.
- Colts wide receiver Krishawn Hogan confirmed that an ACL tear is the reason behind his being placed on IR (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of CBS4). “‘I kind of knew it when it happened,” Hogan said of the injury. The UDFA out of Marian University was elevated from the Colts’ practice squad in late September and appeared in two games. He had practice buzz, so the Colts can be expected to circle back to him in the offseason.
- Colin Kaepernick‘s representatives reached out to the Titans after Marcus Mariota went down with a hamstring issue.