Texans Waive WR DaeSean Hamilton, Sign WR Chad Beebe
DaeSean Hamilton‘s rough run of injury luck will result in a second team waiving him with an injury designation. The Texans jettisoned the former Broncos draft pick Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
To fill Hamilton’s spot, Houston is signing wideout Chad Beebe. The second-generation NFLer made some contributions for the 2020 Vikings, working as the team’s No. 3 wideout behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. But Beebe suffered a preseason injury and did not play last season.
This represents another tough break for Hamilton, who suffered a non-contact knee injury in practice this week. This injury is not an ACL tear, however, and it is not expected to sideline the Penn State product for the season. It will leave Hamilton without a job, though. Hamilton is attempting to come off a missed 2021 season. The young slot receiver suffered an ACL tear during the 2021 offseason, and the Broncos — who were on the verge of trading Hamilton to the 49ers — cut bait soon after. The Texans picked him up earlier this year.
If unclaimed, Hamilton will revert to the Texans’ IR list. An injury settlement, which would send the three-year veteran to free agency, could follow in that case. Beebe caught 20 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings two years ago. A foot injury sidelined him in 2021.
Beebe, 28, would represent a fringe candidate to make Houston’s roster as a backup while also posing as a practice squad candidate. The team may have more room on its Week 1 roster, however, with second-round pick John Metchie not expected to be ready from the ACL tear he suffered late in Alabama’s season. The Texans roster the likes of Chris Conley, 2021 third-rounder Nico Collins, Chris Moore and Phillip Dorsett as auxiliary options behind Brandin Cooks.
Latest On Browns QB Deshaun Watson
Since Roger Goodell said two weeks ago the NFL’s Deshaun Watson investigation was nearing an end, two more women filed civil lawsuits against the Browns quarterback. Following the 23rd suit, Watson’s defense team denied the accuser’s account. After the 24th, Rusty Hardin indicated the defense only learned the latest accuser’s name when the suit was filed.
The 24th accuser presenting new information could open the door to Watson’s Browns guarantees being at risk. The Browns structured Watson’s fully guaranteed contract so the guarantees would not void if he was suspended based on one of the then-22 civil suits, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk raises the prospect of a ban based partially on a new lawsuit penetrating the bulletproof guarantee language. It is still possible the Hardin-led camp and the Browns were aware of another potential suit, but it coming more than two months after Watson signed his contract creates some uncertainty regarding the guarantees.
Given their extraordinary effort to acquire Watson via the record-shattering $230MM guaranteed figure, it seems unlikely the team would push to void guarantees. Watson has denied any wrongdoing, but the Browns continue to see detailed accounts of accusations against their trade acquisition emerge.
An expansive report from the New York Times’ Jenny Vrentas indicates Watson received massages from at least 66 women over a 17-month span from fall 2019 to spring 2021, the end of this timeframe bringing forth the avalanche of allegations against the then-Texans passer. Women who did not sue Watson accuse the 26-year-old QB of attempting to turn massage therapy sessions into sexual encounters, and Vrentas adds another woman withdrew her complaint due to “privacy and security concerns.”
Including Instagram messages between Watson and accusers and testimony from the ongoing civil trials — said testimony revealing, in at least one of the suits, Watson admitting a masseuse’s experience and skill level was not a priority — Vrentas’ piece also includes civil testimony in which Watson said the Texans helped him with a nondisclosure agreement. The 23rd woman to file suit against Watson, Nia Smith, shared texts, Watson’s phone number and some of his Cash App receipts on her Instagram account after his alleged sexual misconduct during their three massage sessions. Watson said the Texans provided an NDA in late 2020, and Vrentas reports he began taking NDAs to massage sessions soon after. The Texans also set up Watson with a membership at The Houstonian, a hotel where at least seven women gave him massages occurred, according to Vrentas.
The NFL has interviewed 21 of the first 22 women to accuse Watson of sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, and has concluded its interviews with the embattled passer, who switched his Twitter account to private following Vrentas’ story. Goodell said in March that, based on NFL and NFLPA talks, Watson would not be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. Barring the Browns asking Watson to stay away from their workouts, he will continue to practice with his new team. If the NFL did not know about the information uncovered in Vrentas’ account, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson discusses whether the exempt list (paid leave) would now apply. The NFL did not place Watson on the exempt list last year; the Texans instead deactivated him 17 times.
A suspension is expected to be announced in July, and the run of information leading up to the independent arbitrator’s (and later Goodell’s) decision could increase the likelihood of a lengthy ban. This matter stands to hang over Watson for most or all of 2023 as well, with the civil trials going on pause from August 1, 2022-March 1, 2023. A second suspension could take place once the suits conclude. Watson missed his age-26 season due to these accusations and his previous trade request. The negative PR coming his way may well prompt the NFL to levy a harsh ban, putting his age-27 campaign in jeopardy.
Injury Notes: Beathard, Glasgow, Jones, Texans, Bengals
The Jaguars number-two QB went down with an injury yesterday. C.J. Beathard was carted off the field during OTAs, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). According to the reporter, Beathard suffered a groin injury, and an impending MRI will reveal the extent of the injury.
The former third-round pick spent the first four years of his career with the 49ers. Beathard went 2-10 as a starter, completing 58.6 percent of his passes for 3,469 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Jaguars last offseason, and he got into two games as Trevor Lawrence‘s backup, completing his pair of pass attempts.
If Beathard is forced to miss an extended amount of time, the Jaguars will likely turn to Jake Luton or rookie EJ Perry as Lawrence’s primary backup.
More injury news from around the NFL…
- Broncos lineman Graham Glasgow broke his ankle last November, but the veteran is back at practice and is competing to regain his starting spot. “I’m no stranger to competition,’’ Glasgow said (via Mike Klis of 9News in Denver). “I’ve competed in the past and I’ve competed for starting jobs in the past. This whole offseason, I’ve been competing with myself to get better in my rehab stuff. If I’m healthy, I’m just going to go out there and do what I can and do what I do. We’ll see what comes out of that.” The 29-year-old guard/center has started 78 of his 82 career games, but Klis notes that Quinn Meinerz and/0r Netane Muti could push him for a starting gig.
- Daniel Jones is apparently over his neck injury. Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that if the season started today, then the Giants starting QB would be fully cleared to play (per Dan Duggan of The Athletic on Twitter). After going 4-7 in his 11 starts, Jones missed the final six games of the 2021 campaign with a neck injury. Despite his struggles, the former sixth-overall pick is expected to keep his starting gig in 2022, although the organization did bring in veteran Tyrod Taylor as competition.
- Texans wideout DaeSean Hamilton is set to have knee surgery tomorrow, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). The receiver suffered the injury during a non-contact drill, but he didn’t tear his ACL and is expected to make a full recovery at some point during the regular season. Hamilton was a fourth-round pick by the Broncos in 2018, and he only missed a pair of games through his first three seasons. He missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL, and he caught on with the Texans back in March. The 27-year-old has 81 receptions in 46 games.
- Bengals defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin suffered a wrist injury that will shut him down for the rest of the offseason program, per the team’s website. Coach Zac Taylor told reporters that the former fourth-round pick avoided a serious injury, but the player still needed to go under the knife to repair the ailment. Shelvin got into three games as a rookie, collecting four tackles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/6/22
Here are today’s minor moves to start the week:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Keith Kirkwood
- Waived: WR Talolo Limu-Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed: OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed: OL Carson Green (from Houston)
- Waived: OL Derwin Gray
Texans’ Romeo Crennel Retires
Romeo Crennel has been in coaching since 1970 and has been an NFL staffer since 1981. The former Browns and Chiefs head coach announced his retirement from coaching Monday.
The Texans have employed the longtime defensive staffer for the past eight years and change, and while Crennel had left his defensive coordinator post by 2021, he was still with the organization. The decorated staffer is stepping down from a day-to-day role, however.
“Football has been my entire life and it’s been a dream come true to coach for 50 years,” Crennel said. “I’ll miss everything about coaching and teaching, but the thing I’ll miss the most is being around the guys every day. … I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to spend more time with my grandchildren while staying around the game of football.”
Crennel, who will turn 75 this month, has five Super Bowl rings on his resume as an assistant, collecting them with the Giants and Patriots. He began his NFL career as a special teams coordinator on Ray Perkins‘ Giants staff in 1981, staying on in New York throughout Bill Parcells‘ tenure and through Ray Handley‘s two-year stint — before rejoining Parcells with the Patriots in 1993. Crennel later followed Parcells to the Jets, working as a position coach under Parcells and Bill Belichick.
Although Crennel spent five-plus seasons as a head coach, he is probably best known for leading the Patriots’ defenses in the early 2000s. Crennel rejoined Belichick, his longtime Giants coworker, in 2001 and served as his right-hand man on defense. Tom Brady later became the Patriots’ centerpiece, but Belichick and Crennel’s defenses led the way in the early 2000s, lifting the Pats to three Super Bowl titles in four seasons. New England finished first and second in scoring defense during its 2003 and ’04 championship seasons, respectively, when the team went 34-4.
The Browns had employed Crennel as their defensive coordinator in 2000 and brought him back as their HC on the heels of Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. While this did not reverse the struggling team’s fortunes, Crennel led Cleveland to the playoff doorstep in 2007 — a 10-6 season. He resurfaced as a head coach with the Chiefs, taking over as Todd Haley‘s late-season replacement in 2011. The Chiefs handed the Packers their only regular-season loss that year, leading to Crennel’s promotion. But their 2012 slate was a low point for the franchise, with a 2-14 season leading to Crennel being a one-and-done as Kansas City’s full-time HC.
Bill O’Brien brought in Crennel as his DC in 2014, and after ex-Crennel charge Mike Vrabel served in that role in 2017, Houston again turned to the veteran following Vrabel’s Tennessee exit. Two of J.J. Watt‘s three Defensive Player of the Year campaigns came under Crennel, who helped the team secure playoff access with the likes of Brian Hoyer and Brock Osweiler under center. Upon being moved to interim head coach in 2020, at age 73, Crennel became the oldest person to be a head coach in an NFL game, breaking George Halas‘ record in doing so.
Contract Details: Alexander, Moreau
Here are the details on several recently-signed contracts:
- Jaire Alexander, CB (Packers): Four years, $84MM. $30MM signing bonus (previously reported). Base salary of $1.076MM in 2022 creates manageable cap charge of $7.076MM. Base salaries remain modest in 2023-24 ($1.2MM and $6.65MM), but roster bonuses ($11.45MM due on third day of 2023 league year, $8MM due on third day of 2024 league year) are significant. Cap charge increases to $20MM in 2023. Base salaries increase to $16.15MM in 2025 and $18.15MM in 2026. Each year from 2023-26 includes weekly roster bonuses of up to $650K, workout bonuses of $700K, and $250K Pro Bowl escalator (Twitter thread via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- Fabian Moreau, CB (Texans): One year, $2MM. $1MM guaranteed ($350K signing bonus, $650K of $1.4MM salary). Up to $250K in weekly roster bonuses. $500K in available incentives (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network).
Latest On Texans’ Running Backs Room
The Texans finished the 2021 NFL season ranked dead-last in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and rushing yards per carry. Houston has made some moves to address the position and the room will look fairly different at camp this summer. 
Last year saw four Texans’ running backs start games. Three of those running backs are no longer on the roster. Mark Ingram returned to New Orleans midway through last season, Phillip Lindsay signed this offseason with the Colts, and David Johnson hit the free agent market and has yet to sign with a new team. While losing three players who started games may sound significant, the three backs combined last year to rush for only 652 yards and 2 touchdowns while averaging only 3.12 yards per carry.
Houston returns their leading rusher last year, Rex Burkhead. Burkhead, who turns 32 next month, racked up the highest rushing total of his career last year in his ninth season, totaling 427 yards on the ground. Burkhead has been a third-down type of running back throughout his career, recording more receiving yards than rushing in tw0 of his nine years. The Texans also return Royce Freeman, who was claimed off waivers in early-November last year.
To address the struggling run-game, Houston made two big moves. The first move they made was to sign free agent running back Marlon Mack in the weeks leading up to the Draft. Mack spent five seasons in Indianapolis, starting as a backup to Frank Gore. Once Gore left in free agency, Mack took the starting job and, despite missing six games in the next two years, was 92 yards away from two-consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. In 2020, a torn Achilles in Week 1 ended Mack’s season and opened the door for then-rookie Jonathan Taylor to take the reins. Taylor quickly took over, finishing second in Offensive Player of the Year voting last year. In his final year with the Colts, Mack took a backseat to Taylor and Nyheim Hines as he was only active in six games.
The second move Houston made was drafting Florida running back Dameon Pierce in the fourth-round of the Draft. Pierce had the best year of his career in his senior season while splitting carries with Malik Davis and Nay’quan Wright. Pierce only rushed for 574 yards in his final season as a Gator, but his physical playing-style led to him leading the team with 16 touchdowns from scrimmage, 13 of those being on the ground.
So who is taking the lead for Houston next season? According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Texans will have a committee-approach at running back this year. They have built a room that holds quite a few skill sets necessary for a successful position group. Mack is expected to take the lead back role, as he’s the only one with experience and success in that role. Although Mack runs with the same physical, attacking style as Pierce, Pierce’s presence should allow Mack a bit of a reprieve in those short-yardage and goal-line situations. Burkhead should be able to return to his role as a receiving, third-down back. Freeman has experience spelling starters as a reliable backup, and can continue to do so in any role asked of him. Houston also brought in former-Jaguar Dare Ogunbowale who has plenty of experience as a backup, as well. They also roster Darius Anderson, who will likely serve as a camp body this summer.
With Mack, Pierce, and Burkhead, Houston has specialists for three different situations. If they need or want more bodies on the 53-man roster, Freeman, Ogunbowale, and the young Anderson can compete for that fourth slot. The improvements needed for the run-game need to come from several areas: offensive line make-up, success in the passing-game to take pressure off, down-field blocking from receivers and tight ends, etc. The first-step, though, is to have players who can run, and Houston has drastically renovated their running backs room in an attempt to get out of the basement of rushing offenses.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/3/22
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: WR Malik Williams
Houston Texans
- Waived: OL Carson Green
Minnesota Vikings
- Reverted to IR (after going unclaimed on waivers): DE Kenny Willekes
Texans Finish Signing 2022 Draft Class
The Texans wrapped up their nine-man draft class today when they were able to reach an agreement with third-round pick Christian Harris. The Power Five-heavy class includes a plethora of Day 1 and 2 picks and brings home three Houston-natives in guard Kenyon Green, safety Jalen Pitre, and offensive lineman Austin Deculus. 
The Texans started their haul with four selections in the 2022 NFL Draft’s first 44 picks. Their first addition was cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who will immediately improve a group that currently includes Steven Nelson, Lonnie Johnson Jr., and Desmond King II. The Texans’ secondary struggled greatly at times last year, and defensive-coordinator-turned-head-coach Lovie Smith decided that addressing that weakness was a top priority. Their addition of Pitre in the second round further addresses that need. While listed as a safety, Pitre spent the majority of his career with the Bears in the slot. Whether at safety or slot cornerback, Pitre is a strong addition alongside Stingley to a struggling defense.
Green was the next selection, midway through the first round, and his ability to play on the inside of the line should allow Houston to establish Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard at the tackle positions. The later addition of the swing tackle, Deculus, continued the Texans’ efforts at improving the protection in front of second-year quarterback Davis Mills.
In terms of weapons for Mills, after extending leading receiver Brandin Cooks, Houston added another weapon in slot receiver John Metchie III. The Alabama alum tore his ACL in December, but is assumed to be ready to return to the field sometime this summer.
From there, Houston added linebacker Christian Harris, who is a menace in opposing teams’ backfields. They followed that by addressing a league-worst 3.4 yards per rush and 8 rushing touchdowns by bringing in Gator running back Dameon Pierce. Thomas Booker adds some depth to the defensive line. Teagan Quitoriano will compete to back up second-year tight end Brevin Jordan with Pharaoh Brown and Antony Auclair.
Here are the draft picks the Texans will take into camps this summer:
Round 1: No. 3 Derek Stingley Jr., CB (LSU) (signed)
Round 1: No. 15 Kenyon Green, G (Texas A&M) (signed)
Round 2: No. 37 Jalen Pitre, S (Baylor) (signed)
Round 2: No. 44 John Metchie III, WR (Alabama) (signed)
Round 3: No. 75 Christian Harris, LB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 4: No. 107 Dameon Pierce, RB (Florida) (signed)
Round 5: No. 150 Thomas Booker, DT (Stanford) (signed)
Round 5: No. 170 Teagan Quitoriano, TE (Oregon State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 205 Austin Deculus, OL (LSU) (signed)
Ryan Fitzpatrick Planning To Retire
After 17 seasons, Ryan Fitzpatrick looks set to retire. The veteran quarterback texted former teammates, including ex-Bills running back Fred Jackson, who shared Fitz’s intentions via Twitter.
Amazon is negotiating a deal with the exiting QB, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Fitzpatrick’s 17th season only featured a handful of snaps in Washington’s Week 1 game, which included a season-ending hip injury. But the Harvard grad left an imprint on the game.
He is the only quarterback in NFL history to have started for nine different teams. No other QB has started for more than seven. The 39-year-old passer, despite being a seventh-round pick, will exit the NFL having started for the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans, Texans, Jets, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Washington. Stretches as a backup ensued, and an earned rollercoaster reputation followed Fitzpatrick, but the former 250th overall pick continued to deliver NFL relevance into his late 30s.
What looks like the NFL’s final Fitzmagic dose occurred late in the Dolphins’ 2020 season, when the bearded vet pulled off a game-winning drive in relief of Tua Tagovailoa in Las Vegas. During the second of his two Bucs seasons (2018), Fitz averaged 9.6 yards per attempt. That remains tied for eighth-best in a season in NFL history — behind only Kurt Warner among post-merger QBs. While that figure formed during a seven-start season, that form helped the popular passer stay a viable option to take snaps into the twilight of his career.
Financially, Fitz did quite well for himself. Even after the Bills bailed on his most notable contract — a six-year, $59MM extension in 2011 — in 2013, he collected a few other nice checks on short-term deals. After Fitzpatrick broke Vinny Testaverde‘s 17-year-old Jets record for single-season touchdown passes, tossing 31 in 2015, Gang Green gave him a one-year, $12MM deal after an offseason impasse. The Dolphins signed Fitz to a two-year, $11MM pact in 2019, and Washington upped that price by inking the then-38-year-old QB to a one-year accord worth $10MM. Despite only playing 16 snaps last season, Fitz collected every penny.
After backing up Marc Bulger and Carson Palmer in St. Louis and Cincinnati, respectively, Fitzpatrick broke through in Buffalo. Taking over for a Bills team that had tried J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards for a fairly lengthy stretch, Fitz started 53 games for the Bills from 2009-12. None of those seasons produced a winning record, however, during the Bills’ near-two-decade-long playoff drought. The Titans and Texans then bolted on two-year contracts after one season apiece.
The Jets brought in Fitz in 2015, after Geno Smith had started two seasons. Backup linebacker I.K. Enemkpali punching Smith in the locker room likely altered his backup’s career trajectory. Fitzpatrick stepped in for a team rostering Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker and tallied a career-high 3,905 passing yards to go with the 31 TD throws. This produced the Jets’ most successful season of the past decade, a 10-6 campaign. While Fitz struggled in a crucial season finale, he re-established himself as a starter option.
Following his surprisingly explosive Jameis Winston fill-in season, which featured some memorable press conference attire, Fitzpatrick led a woeful 2019 Dolphins roster to five wins — something that produced a major NFL controversy years later — and concluded that season with a stunning upset in New England. That result game gave the Chiefs a first-round bye, catalyzing the eventual champions’ Super Bowl LIV push.
For his career, Fitz finishes with 34,990 passing yards (32nd all time), 223 touchdown passes (36th) and 169 INTs. This somewhat amazingly never translated to a single playoff appearance in 17 years, with his starter record 59-87-1. But this sub-.500, regular-season-only run certainly generated considerable attention and delivered a host of memorable moments.