Texans S Jimmie Ward Arrested For Violating Bail
Jimmie Ward is due in court next week for a hearing on his third-degree felony charge. That hearing had been postponed from mid-July to August 13. In advance of that, the Texans safety was arrested again.
The 34-year-old defender spent Thursday night in Montgomery County Jail after being arrested on an alcohol charge in Texas, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. Ward tested positive for alcohol, which is a violation of his bail.
Ward’s attorney said the former first-round pick was unaware he could not consume any alcohol as part of a bond condition; Ward is expected to be released from jail Friday, Wilson adds. Ward is currently on the active/PUP list while rehabbing foot surgery.
In his third year with the Texans, Ward has seen off-field issues overshadow his aim at playing a 12th NFL season. The former 49ers draftee was accused of assaulting, strangling and threatening the mother of his child, being hit with an assault family violence impeding breath/circulation charge related to an incident at his home in Magnolia, Texas. The woman has been granted an emergency protective order. After his August 13 information setting court date, Ward is due back in court to appear before a grand jury August 31.
The Texans have Ward tied to a $5.67MM cap number; he is due a $2.75MM base salary. An NFL suspension is unlikely to come before this grand jury appearance, potentially putting Ward in position to debut on time with the Texans. But he has also yet to practice with the team during camp.
Ward suffered the season-ending foot malady in Week 16. The Texans then traded for C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who has worked as a starter alongside Calen Bullock. Gardner-Johnson dodged a bullet in avoiding an ACL tear in practice Thursday, but the twice-traded DB is still expected to miss time with an unspecified knee injury.
Texans’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson Avoids ACL Tear
A cart transported C.J. Gardner-Johnson off the practice field Thursday, and the Texans expressed a fear the trade acquisition suffered a serious injury. That said, conflicting reports surfaced regarding Gardner-Johnson’s 2025 status.
One report (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson) indicated the recently acquired safety suffered an ACL tear. Another (from Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz) pointed to the team fearing a tear. Minutes later, however, a source told Wilson the new Houston safety did not suffer a tear. While Schultz indicated tests were ongoing, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirmed more encouraging news by indicating tests are showing Gardner-Johnson, in fact, did not suffer a tear. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Texans are no longer concerned about Gardner-Johnson’s ACL, as tests are now being conducted to determine what the lesser injury is.
While “team fears” reports can occasionally lead to sighs of relief — as the Cowboys’ Tyler Guyton situation recently showed — they regularly lead to full-season absences. The Texans appear to have dodged a bullet.
Houston acquired Gardner-Johnson in a trade with Philadelphia in March, sending disappointing first-round guard Kenyon Green to the defending Super Bowl champions for a player who started in both the Eagles’ past two Super Bowl seasons. The Texans threw in a fifth-round pick in a swap that brought back a sixth, but they were landing the more established (by far) player in this trade.
Two seasons remain on the contract Gardner-Johnson signed with the Eagles last year, but a major injury would stand to reshape his Texans outlook. Gardner-Johnson, 27, has a history with season-reshaping injuries, having sustained a torn pectoral muscle in September 2023. That kept him off the field for most of his Lions tenure. If Gardner-Johnson avoided an ACL tear this time around, it will be interesting to learn how long he will be out.
This offseason brought a fourth straight relocation for the trash-talking ace. The Eagles obtained him from the Saints via trade in August 2022, and he joined the Lions as a free agent the following March. The Eagles prioritized CJGJ in 2024, bringing him back to start in Vic Fangio‘s defense, but changed their thinking as raises elsewhere on the roster came due. Gardner-Johnson. who intercepted six passes as an Eagle in 2022 and ’24, joined a safety corps housing Jimmie Ward and Calen Bullock.
That duo would have provided cover for the Texans, and it may still be necessary if Gardner-Johnson is to miss regular-season time, but Ward was arrested on a family violence charge this summer. Ward has an August 13 court date set, and the longtime 49ers DB is still on the Texans’ active/PUP list.
No PUP-list stay would come for Gardner-Johnson, who could only be shifted to IR in the event the Texans were worried about a long-term regular-season absence. The team could carry CJGJ over to its 53-man roster and hold an IR activation for him or use one of its two summer IR-return moves on him, burning one of its eight in-season activations in preparation of a return.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/25
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Jimmy Ciarlo
- Waived/injured: LB Baylon Spector
Chicago Bears
- Waived/injured: TE Jordan Murray
Cleveland Browns
- Reverted to IR: CB Anthony Kendall
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Isaiah Neyor
- Placed on IR: G Travis Glover
- Reverted to IR: WR Sam Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Quintez Cephus
- Waived/injured: WR Johnny Johnson III
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: TE McCallan Castles
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: QB Hunter Dekkers
- Waived: P Matthew Hayball
New York Jets
- Released from IR: S Jaylin Simpson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DL Seth Coleman
- Waived/injured: WR Montorie Foster
Bills LB Baylon Spector suffered a calf injury earlier this week that ultimately cost him his roster spot, but he seems destined to ultimately land on the team’s injured reserve. Buffalo was quick to add Jimmy Ciarlo as the replacement. The former West Point captain spent most of his rookie campaign with the Jets, and he garnered auditions with the Giants and Patriots after getting let go by Gang Green in May.
The Texans added some depth at wide receiver in Quintez Cephus, although it came at the expense of Johnny Johnson III. The former Lions draft pick lasted three seasons in Detroit, where he hauled in 37 receptions for 568 yards and four touchdowns. Cephus was banned for the 2023 campaign for violating the league’s gambling policy, and he’s since had stints with the Bills, Texans, Rams, and 49ers. Following his first gig in Houston, he had a brief stint playing under Nick Caley in Los Angeles.
DB Rumors: Savage, Jaguars, Horn, Steelers, Sutton, Lions, Texans, Patriots
The Jaguars‘ Jourdan Lewis signing covers their slot cornerback position, moving Darnell Savage into a pure safety role. Savage had split time between the slot and traditional safety responsibilities last season, but Lewis’ arrival narrows the former first-rounder’s path to playing time. Savage is not a lock to start alongside FA pickup Eric Murray, however, with ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco indicating veterans Andrew Wingard and Antonio Johnson are competing for the other Jags safety spot. Wingard appears a slight favorite entering the preseason slate, per DiRocco.
Moving to a backup role would be a blow for Savage, who is tied to a three-year, $21.75MM deal. While the Trent Baalke-Doug Pederson regime authorized that contract, it would cost the Jags more than $10MM to cut Savage and more than $8MM to trade him. Both scenarios defray money to 2026, as we are well past June 1, so the 2025 cap hit would be manageable in each case. But this will be a position battle to watch. Wingard’s six Jags seasons make him the team’s second-longest-tenured player, behind only punter Logan Cooke, but while he has been a part-timer (28 starts), Savage has logged 82 starts between his time in Green Bay and Jacksonville. That said, DiRocco adds Wingard had beaten out Johnson — a 2023 fifth-rounder who has now made 11 career starts — for a gig alongside the since-departed Andre Cisco last year. A preseason knee injury scuttled that plan.
Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:
- The Panthers saw a car accident alter their quarterback plan last year. The minor injuries Andy Dalton sustained in a wreck near the stadium moved Bryce Young back into the starting lineup. Carolina looks to have dodged a bullet in another car-accident storyline, as Jaycee Horn is believed (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter) to have sustained minor maladies in a crash Wednesday morning. Horn confirmed as much (on Twitter). Injuries have hounded Horn throughout his career, but the Panthers gave the 2024 Pro Bowler a $25MM-per-year extension.
- Rock Ya-Sin‘s veteran-minimum Lions contract (one year, $1.17MM) now includes a position switch. The defending NFC North champs are trying the journeyman cornerback at safety, Lions.com’s Tim Twentyman notes. New safeties coach Jim O’Neil had told Ya-Sin to prepare for some safety work in camp; Ya-Sin had not played safety since high school. The Lions are deep at corner, housing Avonte Maddox and Ennis Rakestraw as backups behind a Terrion Arnold–D.J. Reed–Amik Robertson top three. Ya-Sin may now be vying for a spot behind standout safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
- Former Lions CB starter Cameron Sutton received his walking papers after a spring 2024 arrest produced a domestic battery by strangulation charge. His case has since been dismissed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. The Lions cut bait on a three-year, $33MM deal, leading Sutton to the Steelers. The NFL handed him an eight-game suspension last season. Sutton, 30, is a free agent after starting two Steelers games last season.
- The Steelers checked in on C.J. Henderson via a Tuesday workout (per Wilson). A former top-10 Jaguars pick, Henderson auditioned for the Falcons last week. The Steelers, who rostered Henderson for part of last season, signed another CB from that workout (Daryl Porter Jr.). After 22 Panthers starts from 2021-23, Henderson landed on the Steelers’ IR in November, not playing a 2024 snap.
- Jalen Mills joins Sutton and Henderson in being unsigned; the Eagles, Patriots and Jets regular completed a Texans workout Tuesday, Wilson adds. Mills, 31, made eight starts with the Jets last season, running his career total — split between safety and corner — to 91.
- A sixth-round Seahawks pick in 2024, DJ James spent most of last season on the Patriots‘ practice squad. While James has yet to play a regular-season snap, the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed expects him to make the Pats’ 53-man roster. With Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez being held out of team drills, James has worked alongside Alex Austin as first-teamers filling in. James failed to make Seattle’s 53-man roster last August.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/25
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DE Justin Hollins
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Thomas Gordon
Cleveland Browns
- Waived (with injury designation): CB Anthony Kendall
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Michael Woods
Dallas Cowboys
- Released (with injury settlement): WR Parris Campbell
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Lecitus Smith
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Sam Brown Jr.
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Dalton Keene
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Jared Wayne
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Bryce Ganious, RB JaMycal Hasty
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): CB Tre Avery
- Placed on IR: CB Marcellas Dial, DT Jaquelin Roy
- Released: TE Tyler Davis
New Orleans Saints
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): TE Mason Pline
- Waived: TE Seth Green
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Daryl Porter Jr.
- Waived: TE Kevin Foelsch
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Equanimeous St. Brown
- Released (with failure to disclose physical condition designation): WR Andy Isabella
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Anthony Tyus
- Waived: RB Donovan Kaufman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from active/PUP list: G Sua Opeta
- Waived: P Jake Julien
Dial, the Patriots second-year cornerback and special teamer, will miss his second year in the NFL after suffering a torn ACL. In cheerier news, Opeta returns to a practice field for the first time in over a year. The former Eagles backup lineman was hoping to compete for a starting left guard spot last year before tearing his ACL in the first week of camp.
Campbell makes his way off the Cowboys roster after being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Injuries continue to be an issue for the Ohio State alum, who has missed 51 of a possible 100 regular season games over his first six years in the league and is set to miss even more this year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/25
NFL teams are continuing to adjust their rosters to weather injuries and add depth with preseason games kicking off later this week. Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Dan Feeney
- Waived: DE Kameron Cline, OL Rush Reimer
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Mitch Van Vooren, RB Trayveon Williams
- Waived: OT Julian Pearl
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Luq Barcoo, CB D.J. Miller
- Waived/injured: RB Kye Robichaux
- Placed on IR: S Dan Jackson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Corey Ballentine
- Released: CB Gregory Junior
Houston Texans
- Activated from active/PUP list: RB Dameon Pierce
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Tremayne Anchrum, DL Austin Johnson
- Waived: WR J.J. Jones
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DL Nesta Jade Silvera
- Waived/injured: DL Josh Fuga
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: TE Chris Myarick
- Placed on IR: TE Jalin Conyers
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Nick Vannett
- Waived: OT Marcellus Johnson
New England Patriots
- Activated from active/PUP list: OL Vederian Lowe
New York Giants
- Signed: LB K.J. Cloyd, RB Jonathan Ward
- Waived/injured: RB Rushawn Baker
- Placed on IR: LB Ty Summers
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Michael Dowell, LS Zach Triner
- Placed on IR: S AJ Finley
- Waived: LB Seth Coleman
The Lions’ additions were likely a result of a shoulder injury to second-year cornerback Ennis Rakestraw. Head coach Dan Campbell said (via team writer Tim Twentyman) that “it’s going to be a while, at best” until Rakestraw returns to the field.
Ballentine returns to Green Bay, where he spent the last three seasons, after a brief stint in Indianapolis this offseason. He started six games and played 488 snaps for the Packers in 2023, but primarily contributed on special teams in 2022 and 2024.
The Giants are dealing with a number of injuries in their running back room, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Only Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary, and Darius Miller are healthy, and the first two may not play much in the preseason. New York worked out a number of running backs on Monday, including Myles Gaskin and Isaiah Spiller (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson), but Ward impressed enough to join the squad moving forward.
Finley went down with a knee injury at training camp that is believed to be serious, pending additional tests, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Triner, meanwhile, will fill in for Seahawks third-year long snapper Chris Stoll, who is dealing with a back issue, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.
Texans Sign DT Marlon Davidson, Place Rookie DT On IR
An injury to seventh-round rookie defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton led to a successful surgery today, and the Texans already found his replacement, signing veteran defensive tackle Marlon Davidson, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. With Hamilton hitting injured reserve after the surgery, Davidson’s spot on the roster was earned after a successful workout with the team. 
Hamilton, a productive interior lineman at Rutgers last year, was carted off the field Wednesday with what appeared to be a significant lower leg injury. After being diagnosed with a fractured ankle and getting scheduled for surgery, it was determined that Hamilton was destined for IR with a potential four-month recovery on deck.
Davidson comes in as the next man up. After appearing in only eight games as a rookie, the second-round pick out of Auburn’s role grew a quite a bit in Year 2. Despite a few spurts of absences forcing him to miss six more games, Davidson found himself with a much larger snap share. In a Week 2 matchup, he recorded his first sack on Tom Brady, and in a Week 13 rematch, Davidson recorded a pick six off the arm of the future Hall of Famer.
Davidson’s NFL career has come crashing down ever since. Prior to the start of the 2022 NFL season, Davidson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and was placed on IR. Already on the roster bubble due to his frequent absences, Davidson was cut by the team the following month. He rebounded in the offseason, signing with the 49ers, but was relegated to the practice squad after failing to make the initial 53-man roster and released four weeks into the season.
Once again, Davidson found a new spot on the Titans’ practice squad. He would get called up to the active roster near the end of the season and actually ended up starting the final three games of 2023 in Tennessee. The Titans re-signed him in the offseason, but they placed him on IR with a biceps tear in the preseason. He remained there the entirety of the 2024 season.
Now he’ll get another new chance in Houston. As Hamilton goes down for the next four months, Davidson comes in to fill out the position group during training camp. If he wants any chance at making the 53-man roster to stay with the Texans, he’s going to have to show he can stay healthy.
Falcons Host CB C.J. Henderson
Safety Jordan Whitehead lined up a Falcons visit shortly after receiving medical clearance. He is not the only free agent defensive back on Atlanta’s radar. 
Cornerback C.J. Henderson worked out for the Falcons today, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. No deal is imminent at this time, he adds. Today’s news marks the first known visit this offseason in the case of the former top-1o pick.
Expectations were high for Henderson upon arrival with the Jaguars in 2020. Things did not go according to plan, however, and after struggling in a starting role with Jacksonville he was traded to the Panthers early in his second season. Over the course of 39 games with Carolina, the Florida product started 22 games but consistently struggled in coverage. Henderson joined the Texans last spring but failed to survive roster cuts.
That was followed by a stint on the Steelers’ practice squad, although a neck injury contributed to the 26-year-old never making an appearance. Henderson understandably remains unsigned well into training camp, but that could soon change based on how today’s workout went. Atlanta currently sits near the bottom of the NFL in terms of cap space; with roughly $4.9MM available, though, a league minimum pact would be affordable.
The Falcons added Mike Hughes in free agency as a starter to complement A.J. Terrell. Dee Alford and Clark Phillips remain in place from last year, but Henderson could be a candidate for a spot on the end of the roster in the event he were to sign. Failing that, his attention will again turn to finding a gig in 2025.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/25
Saturday’s minor moves around the league:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
- Placed on reserve/retired list: WR David White
Carolina Panthers
- Reverted to IR: CB M.J. Devonshire
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Garnett Hollis Jr.
Houston Texans
- Activated from active/PUP list: C Eli Cox, LB K.C. Ossai, RB J.J. Taylor
Texans RB Joe Mixon Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks Of Camp
Three days ago, the Texans placed running back Joe Mixon on the active/non-football injury list. At the time, reports claimed that the “medical outlook” was positive for Mixon and that the team would likely ease him into training camp, gradually increasing his activity before shutting him down for his eventual regular season debut. According to a report this afternoon from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, though, Mixon is expected to be out for “an extended period of time with a frustrating foot injury.” 
Early last season, Mixon missed three games with a foot/ankle injury. He hadn’t participated in most of the preseason because of a quadriceps issue, yet he still took off for 159 yards and a touchdown in the team’s season opener. After the Week 2 injury derailed him a bit, he still came back from injury and rattled off four straight 100-yard rushing performances en route to a Pro Bowl bid. His effectiveness took a dip near the end of the season, but he was right back at it in the postseason, putting up 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns in two postseason matchups.
Jane Slater of 105.3 The FAN posted that Mixon reportedly “injured his right foot/ankle twice last year” and that today’s report comes after a third injury to it. KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson clarifies that the third injury occurred in the offseason when Mixon was working out on his own — hence the NFI placement — and that there have been no setbacks. He reports that Mixon has made progress since the injury, regained mobility, and that his medical outlook and goal to be ready for a Week 1 contest with the Rams remain unchanged.
Based on his 2024 season, the injury appears to be nagging and consistent but something he can potentially play through. If Wilson’s report is accurate, Houston will likely be careful with its lead back, easing him into drills and practices before potentially holding him out of another preseason. Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports adds that, despite Mixon’s absence from practice, the Texans are being similarly “judicious” with the usage of free agent addition Nick Chubb.