Texans Claim T Geron Christian
While Morgan Moses had enough service time to head to free agency, the other tackle Washington cut Thursday did not. And the Texans will add a former third-round pick as a result.
Houston submitted a successful waiver claim for Geron Christian. The fourth-year veteran will be the latest notable name to join the Texans on what is now a one-year contract. The 2018 draftee’s deal, like most of the others the Texans have authorized this offseason, expires after the 2021 season.
A Louisville alum, Christian started six games for Washington at left tackle last season. The 6-foot-6 blocker has played in 24 over the course of his career, which began in a developmental role during the end of Washington’s Trent Williams era. Pro Football Focus graded Christian 60th overall among tackles in his 263-snap 2020 season.
Injuries have interfered with Christian’s career as well. An MCL tear sidelined him as a rookie, while another knee injury limited him to six games last season. Washington moved on, drafting Samuel Cosmi in Round 2 and signing Charles Leno as its presumptive Week 1 left tackle starter.
The Texans have their left tackle position checked off, with Laremy Tunsil anchoring the rebuilding team’s offensive line. On the right side, Houston has 2019 first-round pick Tytus Howard and longtime Patriots right tackle Marcus Cannon.
Texans Sign WR Taywan Taylor
After signing another quarterback earlier this evening, the Texans continue to add to their offense. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that Houston is signing wide receiver Taywan Taylor to a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum.
[RELATED: Texans Sign QB Jeff Driskel]
The Titans’ 2017 third-round pick showed promise during his first two years in the NFL, including a sophomore season where he hauled in 37 receptions for 466 yards and one touchdown. However, since getting traded to Cleveland in 2019, he’s struggled to see the field. Over the past two years, Taylor has only seen time in six total games and 51 total offensive snaps.
The Texans have a crowded depth chart at wide receiver. The team was already rostering veterans like Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb, and they’ve spent the offseason adding more veterans (like Andre Roberts and Chris Conley) and rookies (including third-rounder Nico Collins). Taylor will be the 13th receiver on Houston’s roster, so it’s going to be an uphill battle for him to make the squad.
Taylor does have some experience on special teams, so he could find another spot to make the roster. He had five tackles for the Titans during his rookie season, and he returned three kickoffs for the Browns in 2019.
Texans Sign QB Jeff Driskel
The Texans QB room is starting to get a bit crowded. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Texans are signing Jeff Driskel to a one-year deal worth $2.5MM.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the deal includes a $250K signing bonus and a $1MM base salary ($500K guaranteed). Driskel will also earn $30K for each game he’s active, and he has up to $750K in playing-time incentives.
The 2016 sixth-round pick didn’t even make it to the regular season with the 49ers, but he subsequently found a home in Cincinnati. He spent three-plus seasons with the Bengals organization, including a 2018 campaign where he threw six touchdowns vs. only two interceptions in nine games (five starts). He started three games filling in for Matthew Stafford in Detroit during the 2019 season, and he started one of his three games for Denver in 2020.
In total, the 28-year-old has seen time in 15 career games (nine starts), completing 58.6-percent of his passes for 2,120 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
While Driskel got a chunk of change from Houston, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll even make the Texans roster. Following Deshaun Watson‘s trade request and subsequent legal issues, the organization has been busy adding to their uncertain depth chart. Free agent addition Tyrod Taylor is expected to start (assuming Watson is sidelined), and 2021 third-round pick Davis Mills will surely make the roster. This means Driskel will likely be competing with free agent addition (and former teammate) Ryan Finley for a spot on the roster.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/21
Here are Sunday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Olive Sagapolu
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Joe Giles-Harris
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DB Matt Amendola, LB Daniel Bituli, DE P.J. Johnson
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Chris Lacy
- Waived: LB Michael Pinckney
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: T Evin Ksiezarczyk
Denver Broncos
- Signed: QB Case Cookus
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Charlie Taumoepeau
- Signed: DB Alijah Holder
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Shyheim Carter
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Kyle Murphy, DT Lorenzo Neal, LB Quentin Poling
Texans HC David Culley On QB Davis Mills
Due to the legal drama surrounding Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, along with Watson’s insistence that he will never play another snap for the Texans, Houston has made several high-profile additions to its QB room. The team signed veteran Tyrod Taylor in March, and then used its first choice in the 2021 draft (No. 67 overall) on Stanford signal-caller Davis Mills.
Obviously, there is no way to know when Watson’s legal situation will be wrapped up. There may or may not have been recent settlement talks between his legal team and the team representing the 22 women who have filed lawsuits against him, but even a best-case scenario for Watson — a dismissal of the suits (which isn’t happening) or a quick settlement that allows him to escape a major financial hit — still leaves the Texans in a bind because of Watson’s previous trade demands.
A settlement, along with minimal or no punishment from the league, would at least allow Watson’s trade market to heat back up. One way or another, it appears that the Texans will be rolling with either Taylor or Mills when the 2021 regular season opens, and new head coach David Culley had a lot of good things to say about Mills during a press conference yesterday.
“Davis Mills, I thought [GM Nick Caserio‘s] staff did a great job of all of a sudden earmarking a guy that fit what a quarterback in the NFL is all about,” Culley said (via the Texans’ PR department). “Obviously he didn’t play as much football as some of the other guys because of the COVID situation in the Pac-12, but we really love what he’s all about. We love all of the intangibles he has. He’s a pro-type NFL quarterback and we feel good to have him. He’s smart. He can make all the throws and we feel good and feel fortunate that we’re able to get him when we got him.”
The Texans would presumably like for Mills to beat out Taylor for the starting job so that they can get a complete picture of what the rookie can do and set their 2022 priorities accordingly. But when Culley was asked how important it is to give Mills ample playing time this season, Culley had something of a predictable answer. “We’re not looking at it like that,” he said. “We’re looking at it like there’s going to be competition at all positions. This is a new football team here. Basically, we’ve created competition all around this football team. Not just at the quarterback position, but basically at all positions.”
At least one NFL scouting director believes Mills could have been a first-round pick in 2022 if he had stayed in school, so there is some cause for optimism for a franchise that appears to be headed for a major rebuild. “Davis Mills, man, the ball comes out of his hand really nice,” the scouting director said (via veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson on Twitter). “His release quickness is really good. A lot of people around the league are saying he could have been a first-round draft pick next year if he had stayed in school. Very intriguing.”
When asked specifically about Watson, Culley said, “we have nothing to say about that situation at this time.”
Latest On Texans’ Deshaun Watson
May 16: ESPN obtained text messages and a recording which show a member of Buzbee’s team approaching a member of Watson’s team to discuss “working things out,” as Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com writes. Buzbee, for his part, has said that he is the only person at his firm that has the authority to discuss a settlement.
May 14: Earlier this week, the lawyer representing 22 women suing Deshaun Watson criticized the NFL’s conduct during interviews with some of his clients. As a result, Tony Buzbee says he might advise against more of his clients to avoid speaking with the league. Meanwhile, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says league has handled the investigation appropriately. 
“The allegations are very concerning and the league immediately began investigating the matter under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy,” McCarthy said (Twitter link via Mark Berman of FOX26). “The investigation includes gathering information, monitoring law enforcement developments and conducting interviews with relevant people willing to participate with counsel present.”
McCarthy also went to bat for investigation lead Lisa Friel.
“Throughout her decades-long career as the chief of the sex crimes unit in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and most recently as the NFL’s special counsel for investigations for the last six years, Lisa has earned a stellar reputation as a consummate professional who conducts investigations and interviews with compassion and fairness in an effort to determine the truth,” said McCarthy.
Meanwhile, Buzbee and Watson attorney Rusty Hardin continue to exchange comments through the media. Recently, Hardin claimed that Buzbee approached him about a settlement, though the Texans QB won’t consider it unless “the terms are made public and all participants are allowed to speak in their own defense at all times,” (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). In response, Buzbee took to Instagram and denied ever seeking a settlement.
Settlement or no settlement, Watson’s availability for the coming season probably won’t be clarified for some time.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/15/21
Here are the latest rookies to agree to terms on their four-year contracts. The Steelers were busy on this front Saturday.
Houston Texans
- LB Garret Wallow (fifth round; TCU)
Los Angeles Chargers
- RB Larry Rountree (sixth round; Missouri)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DT Isaiahh Loudermilk (fifth round; Wisconsin), LB Quincy Roche (sixth round; Miami), CB Tre Norwood (seventh round; Oklahoma), P Pressley Harvin III (seventh round; Georgia Tech)
Texans Sign 3 UDFAs
The Texans are the latest team to unveil a smaller-than-usual undrafted free agent class. Here are the three players added to Houston’s roster post-draft:
- OT Carson Green, Texas A&M
- WR Damon Hazelton, Missouri
- C Ryan McCollum, Texas A&M
The two ex-Aggie offensive linemen will each receive six-figure guarantees. Both will collect $125K, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Drew Davison noting the deals come with $100K base salary guarantees and $25K signing bonuses (Twitter links).
Scouts Inc. graded McCollum and Green as seventh-round-caliber prospects, slotting the former 236th overall and the latter 244th. Green started from 2018-20 for the Aggies, earning second-team All-SEC acclaim as a senior. McCollum started as a senior. The Aggies led the SEC in sacks allowed and yards per carry (5.45). Hazelton played a three schools, contributing for Ball State and Virginia Tech prior to spending his senior season in central Missouri.
Tony Buzbee: Clients Won’t Settle With Deshaun Watson
Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing 22 women suing Deshaun Watson, says four of his clients have met with NFL lead investigator Lisa Friel (Twitter link via Mark Berman of FOX26). Meanwhile, “eight to ten of his clients” have met with the Houston Police Department. 
[RELATED: Pats, Bears, Washington, Dolphins Pursued Watson]
Furthermore, Buzbee says four additional clients may want to speak with the league, but he may advise them against it (“Some of the women did not feel like they were being respected by the NFL,” Buzbee explained.) And, across the board, Buzbee insists that his clients will not agree to a settlement with the Texans quarterback.
Before the accusations came to light, Watson was pushing the Texans front office to trade him. The Patriots, Bears, Dolphins and the Washington Football Team all expressed interest in the three-time Pro Bowler, but later backed out. It’s unlikely that trade talks will resume until there’s some clarity on Watson’s off-the-field situation and his on-the-field availability.
Meanwhile, Watson’s attorney Rusty Hardin says that the lawsuits are a “money grab.”
“It was not until the plaintiffs saw an opportunity for a money grab that they changed their stories to convert therapy sessions they bragged about to friends and family to something much more nefarious,” Hardin wrote in April.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Auditioning For Texans
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is auditioning for the Texans. The veteran defensive back will join Houston on a tryout basis for their upcoming minicamp, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
The 2014 first-round pick spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Packers, including a 2016 campaign where he earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro recognition after finishing with 80 tackles, five interceptions, and seven passes defended. He was traded to Washington midway through the 2018 campaign, and he started all 16 games for the Bears in 2019, finishing with 78 tackles and two interceptions.
Clinton-Dix signed a one-year, $3.75MM deal with the Cowboys last offseason, teaming him up with former coach Mike McCarthy. However, after earning more than $2MM in guaranteed money, the safety was released by the organization in early September. Clinton-Dix sat in free agency for the remainder of the season.
The Texans current grouping of safeties include Lonnie Johnson Jr., Justin Reid, Terrence Brooks, and Jonathan Owens. Clinton-Dix has the versatility to play both safety positions, so there’s a chance he makes the team as a backup.