Texans Add WR Tyler Johnson Via Waivers
Tyler Johnson became a surprise Buccaneers cut Tuesday. As expected, the young wide receiver found a new home on waivers. The Texans claimed him, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
The former fifth-round pick has two years remaining on his rookie contract. He will head to a Texans team featuring less talent at the receiver position compared to the Bucs’ three-Pro Bowler (feat. Russell Gage) setup.
Tampa Bay added Gage and Julio Jones this offseason, doing so after franchise-tagging and extending Chris Godwin. Mike Evans remains as well. Breshad Perriman also remains with the Bucs. Tampa Bay’s receiver reload, in what could be Tom Brady‘s final season, left Johnson with a tougher-than-expected climb back to the 53-man roster.
A Minnesota alum, Johnson showed growth in his second season. He caught 36 passes for 360 yards in Year 2. While the presences of Godwin, Evans and, when available, Antonio Brown impacted Johnson’s status, he served as an intriguing depth piece in Tampa. In Houston, the 206-pound pass catcher should have more room for growth.
The Texans extended Brandin Cooks this offseason, shutting down trade rumors, and have 2021 third-rounder Nico Collins in place as Cooks’ top sidekick. But Johnson could profile as a Davis Mills tertiary target soon.
Texans To Add RB Marlon Mack To P-Squad
Marlon Mack will stay with the Texans. Despite being released Tuesday as the team cut its roster down to 53 players, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets the veteran running back is returning on a practice squad deal.
One of several veteran backs to arrive in Houston during Nick Caserio‘s GM tenure, Mack being moved off the team’s active roster was undoubtedly a step back in his quest to show he can still be an NFL starter. But the Texans will keep the sixth-year veteran around as insurance.
[RELATED: Assessing Texans’ 2022 Offseason]
Part of a 2017 running back draft class that has enticed teams to buck the trend against valuing backs — as the eight-figure-per-year deals for Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Aaron Jones, Alvin Kamara and Joe Mixon have shown — Mack saw his path toward a Colts extension or higher-end free agency pact stonewalled by a September 2020 Achilles tear. With Jonathan Taylor emerging in Indianapolis last season, Mack — who re-signed with the Colts on a one-year, $2MM deal in 2021 — his predecessor did not see the field much. That led him out of Indiana this offseason.
The Texans also gave Mack a one-year, $2MM deal, but they cut bait on it before the regular season began. Mack now sits behind fourth-round rookie Dameon Pierce and veterans Rex Burkhead, Royce Freeman and Dare Ogunbowale.
The Texans keeping four backs stands to provide more hurdles for Mack. The former Colts 1,100-yard rusher is almost two years removed from the Achilles injury, but that injury has proven to be a considerable impediment for running backs. A 2017 fourth-round pick, Mack is going into his age-26 season.
Texans Set 53-Man Roster
The Texans released a number of veterans today as they reduced their roster to 53 players:
Released:
- TE Antony Auclair
- DB Terrence Brooks
- WR Chris Conley
- QB Jeff Driskel
- DL Demone Harris
- RB Marlon Mack (story)
- OL Cedric Ogbuehi
- LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
- TE Mason Schreck
- DB Isaac Yiadom
Waived:
- DB Grayland Arnold
- WR Jalen Camp
- WR Drew Estrada
- DB Jacobi Francis
- TE Seth Green
- WR Johnny Johnson III
- DB Tristin McCollum
- OL Jimmy Morrissey
- DL Adedayo Odeleye
- FB Paul Quessenberry
- OL Max Scharping (story)
- OL Jordan Steckler
- OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
- WR Connor Wedington
Waived/injured:
Placed on IR:
- DL Derek Rivers
Placed on short-term IR;
Davis Mills and Kyle Allen sit atop Houston’s QB depth chart, making Jeff Driskel expendable, but there’s a chance the veteran sticks around as a third quarterback via the practice squad. Driskel spent the 2021 campaign in Houston, getting into a single game. He’s started nine of his 16 career games, tossing 13 touchdowns vs. eight interceptions.
Chris Conley has spent seven seasons in the NFL, and he could have provided some experience to the receivers room. There’s a chance the veteran could end up back in Houston, as the Texans decided to carry only four wideouts in Nico Collins, Brandin Cooks, Phillip Dorsett, and Chris Moore.
Antony Auclair started 13 games for Houston last season, mostly serving as a blocking tight end. Terrence Brooks started three of his 11 appearances, collecting 21 tackles.
Texans To Waive G Max Scharping
Not long after trading a 2020 second-round pick to the Vikings, the Texans are moving on from a 2019 Round 2 choice. Max Scharping is being waived, ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
This move comes after an effort to trade the fourth-year guard, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). Scharping, 26, has considerable starting experience (33 games) and could be an interesting add for a team in need on the O-line interior.
[RELATED: Texans Trade DT Ross Blacklock To Vikings]
The Northern Illinois alum, however, bounced in and out of Houston’s starting lineup during his three-year tenure. He did suit up for all 17 Texans games last season but only started 11, being moved off the full-time starter tier at the midseason point. The Texans also drafted Scharping before their current Nick Caserio-headed regime arrived. Scharping graded just outside the top 50, per Pro Football Focus, among guards last season.
Houston fired GM Brian Gaine shortly after the draft that produced Scharping and first-round offensive lineman Tytus Howard. The latter, however, remains with Houston, which picked up its right tackle’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason. Houston was active at guard this offseason as well, signing ex-Jacksonville starter A.J. Cann and using a first-round pick on Kenyon Green.
Vikings To Acquire DT Ross Blacklock From Texans
Former second-round pick Ross Blacklock is changing teams. The Texans are trading the third-year defensive tackle to the Vikings, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Acquired prior to the Nick Caserio regime taking over, Blacklock will head to Minnesota with two years left on his rookie deal. Blacklock could not carve out a starting role in Houston and will likely be better remembered for being taken with the pick acquired in the 2020 DeAndre Hopkins trade.
This is a pick-swap trade. The Texans will land a sixth-round pick for Blacklock and a seventh, Pelissero adds (on Twitter). The TCU product did not play in the Texans’ final preseason game, having suffered a leg injury. Blacklock was on Houston’s roster bubble coming into Tuesday, but the team managed to land a late-round asset instead of sending him to the waiver wire.
Blacklock, 24, started just three games with the Texans. Sixth-rounder Roy Lopez had moved ahead of him last season. Blacklock did register two sacks, a forced fumble and six quarterback hits in 2021, indicating a glimmer of potential as he heads north.
This does put a bow on the Hopkins haul for Houston. The Texans stunned the football world by dealing their perennial Pro Bowl wideout to the Cardinals for David Johnson and a second-round pick. Houston also obtained a 2021 fourth in that deal, but the primary additions from the widely panned Bill O’Brien-era deal (Johnson and Blacklock) are no longer with the team.
The Vikings are shifting to a 3-4 scheme for the first time in decades, and they now have another piece — one that played in a 3-4 base in Houston — to go along with UFA addition Harrison Phillips and 2021 signing Dalvin Tomlinson, among others. While Tomlinson and Phillips will be Vikings starters, Blacklock will seemingly fill in as a rotational presence.
Texans To Release RB Marlon Mack
Another veteran running back is being let go today. The Texans are releasing Marlon Mack, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Mack, 26, experienced significant highs and lows during his five-year tenure with the Colts. In 2018 and 2019, he established himself as a legitimate No. 1 back with nearly 2,000 rushing yards, but injuries have limited him to just seven games played since.
With the Colts comfortable in moving forward with Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, it came as little surprise when Mack made the intra-divisional move to sign in Houston. The Texans represented an opportunity for the former fourth-rounder to once operate as a lead back, something which seemed to be made even more possible when the team’s initial depth chart named him as the starter.
Instead, that designation will now, in all likelihood, go to rookie Dameon Pierce. The Florida product put up relatively modest yardage totals even in his final season (574 on the ground, 216 through the air), though he found the endzone 16 times in 2021. His lack of usage by the Gators – he received 206 carries across his final two seasons – likely hurt his draft stock, but his training camp and preseason performances have clearly impressed the coaching staff.
Pierce will be supported by veteran Rex Burkhead in the backfield, who led the team in rushing yards last season. The team’s effectiveness in the ground game – or lack thereof – stands to be improved upon with Pierce leading the way. Mack, meanwhile, will look to find a new roster spot as an experienced backup looking to rebuild his free agent value.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/22
Teams have until 3pm Tuesday to slash their rosters from 80 to 53 players. Here are the Monday moves teams are making en route to doing so. The list will be updated throughout the day.
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: CB Jace Whittaker, S James Wiggins
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Darrell Baker
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: C Jimmy Murray
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: OL Jacob Capra, DE Daniel Joseph, DB Jordan Miller, OL Tanner Owen, WR Neil Pau’u, DB Josh Thomas
Chicago Bears
- Waived: S Jon Alexander, C Corey Dublin, WR Kevin Shaa
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: DE Chris Odom (story)
- Released: WR Javon Wims
- Waived: WR Ja’Marcus Bradley, DT Glen Logan, S Jovante Moffatt, T Ben Petrula, DE Curtis Weaver
Denver Broncos
- Waived: CB Bless Austin, LB Jeremiah Gemmel, OL Sebastian Gutierrez, RB JaQuan Hardy
- Waived/injured: CB Donnie Lewis
Detroit Lions
- Released: QB Tim Boyle
- Waived: CB Mark Gilbert, WR Tom Kennedy, WR Kalil Pimpleton, CB Saivion Smith
Houston Texans
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Chester Rogers
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: QB Jack Coan
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released: S Rudy Ford, K.C. McDermott
- Waived: LB Tyrell Adams, DL Auzoyah Alufohai, RB Ryquell Armstead, CB Benjie Franklin, DB Brandon Rusnak, LB Chapelle Russell, OL Badara Traore
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: LB Emeke Egbule, TE Sage Surratt
Miami Dolphins
- Released: OL Adam Pankey
- Waived: OL Blaise Andries, DL Owen Carney Jr., RB Gerrid Doaks, CB Elijah Hamilton, LB Darius Hodge, DT Niles Scott, RB ZaQuandre White, CB Quincy Wilson
- Placed on IR: LB Calvin Munson
- Waived/injured: CB D’Angelo Ross
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: CB Tye Smith
- Placed on IR: WR Olabisi Johnson (story), DL T.Y. McGill
- Waived: WR Myron Mitchell, T Timon Parris
New York Giants
- Waived: DB Yusuf Corker, WR Keelan Doss, DB Olaijah Griffin, OL Josh Rivas, K Ryan Santoso, OL Eric Smith, WR Travis Toivonen
New York Jets
- Waived: DE Bradlee Anae, WR Irvin Charles, CB Javelin Guidry, WR Calvin Jackson Jr., RB La’Mical Perine, LB Del’Shawn Phillips, QB Chris Streveler
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: CB Josh Blackwell, QB Carson Strong, OL Cameron Tom, DT Renell Wren
- Waived/injured: WR Greg Ward
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: DL Ron’Dell Carter, CB Linden Stephens, TE Jace Sternberger
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: CB Ken Crawley
- Waived: OL Dohnovan West
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: LB Andre Anthony, WR Jerreth Sterns
Tennessee Titans
- Released: S Adrian Colbert
- Waived: S Tyree Gillespie, OL Willie Wright
Washington Commanders
- Waived: DT Tyler Clark, DE Jacub Panasiuk, DB Steven Parker
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/22
Today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Released from IR via injury settlement: LB Barrington Wade
Houston Texans
- Waived: K Matt Ammendola
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: T Roderick Johnson
- Waived: QB Dustin Crum, RB Tayon Fleet-Davis, WR Aaron Parker and LB Mike Rose
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Kevin White
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Austin Mack
Cowboys Unlikely To Trade For Left Tackle?
The Cowboys have very limited time to find a Tyron Smith replacement, but a few avenues by which they could acquire one. Their financial situation could make a trade viable on paper, though it appears the team will look elsewhere while evaluating their options. 
Smith is expected to be sidelined until at least December due to an avulsion fracture of the knee and subsequent hamstring tear. Dallas doesn’t have a replacement on hand with anywhere near the pedigree of the eight-time Pro Bowler, of course, but promoting from within remains an immediate solution. Playing first-round rookie Tyler Smith at left tackle – his college position – is a possibility, though he was thought to be a guard candidate early in his career. Fellow rookie Matt Waletzko and 2021 fourth-rounder Josh Ball could also step in on the blindside.
Indeed, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports that the Cowboys are turning to the aforementioned “in-house players” while also “working through” potential free agent additions (Twitter link). That is in line with reporting from yesterday indicating that a signing could be coming soon. A number of veterans remain on the open market, including Super Bowl champion Andrew Whitworth; Anderson adds, however, that the retired 40-year-old is not among Dallas’ considerations.
Adding further to the sense that the Cowboys will not be executing a trade for a stop-gap solution, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tweets that the Texans are not expected to make Laremy Tunsil available to Dallas (or any other club). The two-time Pro Bowler has two years remaining on his contract, including a $17.7MM cap hit the Cowboys could absorb given their current financial situation. Beside his talent level, Wilson cites the dead cap charge (over 16.6MM) which would be generated by a trade as the reason such a move is unlikely on Houston’s end.
With final roster cuts just days away, more options could surface for the Cowboys to consider. A recent release, or an aging veteran still available remains the likeliest way the team augments its unproven stable of incumbents.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/22
Today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DL Trent Harris
Buffalo Bills
- Waived/failed physical: WR Bailey Gaither
Carolina Panthers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: CB Duke Dawson
Chicago Bears
- Released from IR via injury settlement: CB Jayson Stanley
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Jeremiah Gemmel
- Waived (injured): LB Barrington Wade
Houston Texans
- Signed: K Matt Ammendola
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: K Jake Verity
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released from IR via injury settlement: RB Derrick Gore
New York Giants
- Waived: C Chris Owens
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Robert Foster
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-Signed: CB Josh Blackwell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived (injured): WR Cyril Grayson
- Released from IR via injury settlement: T Jonathan Hubbard
Washington Commanders
- Released from IR via injury settlement: S Nathan Gerry