Texans To Sign CB C.J. Henderson
The Texans will give C.J. Henderson a chance to bounce back. The former top-10 Jaguars pick, who played most of the past three seasons with the Panthers, is signing with the Texans, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.
Henderson visited Texans brass Thursday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Florida alum has seen his stock dip considerably since coming off the 2020 draft board ninth overall, but he will land another opportunity. Henderson’s Houston deal is worth up to $3.25MM, Fowler adds.
Going from Jacksonville to Carolina early in the 2021 season — for a third-round pick and tight end Dan Arnold — Henderson could not reestablish his value with the NFC South team. The Panthers gave the 6-foot-1 cover man extensive run (22 starts) but did not see him provide an answer. Carolina initially acquired Henderson due to the first of Jaycee Horn‘s NFL injuries, later trading for Stephon Gilmore that year. Henderson again ended up being a Horn replacement, when the 2021 top-10 pick went down with a significant hamstring injury last season, but was not especially effective.
Pro Football Focus’ ratings at this position can fluctuate, partially illustrating cornerback volatility, but the advanced metrics site ranked the the ex-Gator outside the top 100 in each of the past three seasons. Henderson, 25, also allowed a passer rating north of 103 as the closest defender in each of the past three seasons. This resume points to the Texans taking a flier on a player who was once viewed as a high-end prospect.
Henderson is the second former top-10 CB investment the Texans have added this offseason, with Jeff Okudah — chosen third overall in 2020 — signing with the team last week. Houston also features the 2022 No. 3 overall pick — Derek Stingley Jr. — at corner, giving DeMeco Ryans a crew of once-elite prospects. Okudah and Henderson’s trajectories do not match Stingley’s at this point, and Houston will probably do more work at this position. The team was interested in re-signing Steven Nelson, but no deal has been reached more than a week into free agency.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/24
Wednesday’s minor transactions:
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: WR Steven Sims
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: WR River Cracraft
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Tyler Hall
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Zeke Turner
Sims was not tendered by the Texans as a restricted free agent, but Houston found a way to bring him back on a new deal regardless. Sims is now five years removed from his rookie year in Washington, in which he caught for 310 yards and four touchdowns.
Contract Details: Young, Awuzie, Taylor, Rams, Cards, Chargers, 49ers, Lions, Texans
With free agency’s first wave in the rearview mirror, here is a look at some of the contracts authorized by teams in the days since the market opened:
- Chidobe Awuzie, CB (Titans). Three years, $36MM. Contract includes $22.98MM guaranteed. Awuzie’s 2025 base salary ($11.49MM) is guaranteed for injury at signing, with $7.51MM of that total fully guaranteed. Awuzie being on Tennessee’s roster on April 1 of next year locks in the other $3.98MM. The veteran cornerback is a due a $1MM bonus on April 1, 2026, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
- Darious Williams, CB (Rams). Three years, $22.5MM. Commanding a market, the recent Jaguars cap casualty’s second Rams contract can be worth up to $30MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
- Chase Young, DE (Saints). One year, $13MM. The deal includes $7.99MM in per-game roster bonuses, CBS Sports Jonathan Jones notes. Including a $2.7MM base salary and a $1.86MM signing bonus, Young’s New Orleans pact is still heavily tilted toward games active. That will make the defensive end’s recovery from neck surgery worth monitoring more closely.
- Tyrod Taylor, QB (Jets): Two years, $12MM. Taylor will see $8.5MM fully guaranteed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets. An additional $6MM in incentives are present in the veteran QB’s deal. Three void years are included here, dropping Taylor’s 2024 cap hit to $2.8MM.
- DeeJay Dallas, RB (Cardinals): Three years, $8.25MM. Dallas will see $2.4MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. The final two base salaries on this contract — both worth $2.4MM — are nonguaranteed. Rushing yards-based incentives run up to $750K per year in this deal.
- Javon Kinlaw, DT (Jets): One year, $7.25MM. The ex-49ers first-rounder will receive a $5.5MM signing bonus, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson indicating the deal also includes $1.75MM in incentives.
- Gus Edwards, RB (Chargers). Two years, $6.5MM. The ex-Ravens back will see $3.38MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. Edwards’ $3MM 2025 base salary is nonguaranteed, with Wilson adding he is due a $125K roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2025 league year.
- Noah Brown, WR (Texans): One year, $4MM. Brown re-signed with the Texans for $3MM guaranteed, per Wilson. The wideout’s second Houston contract can max out at $5MM.
- Jon Feliciano, G (49ers). One year, $2.75MM. Feliciano will receive a $925K signing bonus, and Wilson adds $1.25MM in incentives are present in this accord.
- Emmanuel Moseley, CB (Lions). One year, $1.13MM. Moseley will stay in Detroit for the veteran minimum, via the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers. Coming off a second ACL tear in two years, Moseley will receive a $1MM signing bonus. He received $6MM in 2023.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/19/24
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DE Casey Toohill
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: WR James Proche
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Kris Boyd
- Waived: CB Ka’dar Hollman
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: G Danny Pinter
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT PJ Mustipher
Texans, DL Mario Edwards Agree To Deal
Mario Edwards will be returning to the AFC South in 2024. The veteran defensive lineman has agreed to a one-year deal with the Texans, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. 
Edwards has seen time with six teams during his NFL career, including a one-year stint in Tennessee in 2022. After a single campaign in Seattle, the 30-year-old will join a Houston front which has made a number of changes during the early portions of free agency. Edwards visited the Texans on Monday, as noted by Fowler’s colleague Field Yates.
Houston has seen the departures of D-linemen Maliek Collins (traded to the 49ers) and Sheldon Rankins (signed with the Bengals) in recent days. Coupled with the departure of Jonathan Greenard on the edge, those absences – along with those of Jerry Hughes, Teair Tart and Derek Barnett, presuming no member of that trio is re-signed – have left several vacancies for the Texans. Some of them, of course, have already been filled.
The team worked out two-year deals with Denico Autry and Tim Settle last week, and Danielle Hunter was added as Greenard’s replacement. The latter will give Houston a high-profile edge tandem opposite 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson. Edwards could fill in as a rotational pass rusher behind that pair, as he has for much of his career. The former second-rounder has seen a defensive snap share above 50% only three times (and once since 2017).
Edwards (who attended high school in Denton, Texas) has demonstrated an ability to chip in as a pass rusher in a number of stops, though. The Florida State alum has posted between two and four sacks in each of the past seven seasons, and a repeat of that production should be expected in 2024. The Texans ranked 17th in sacks last year, and Edwards’ addition will of course not impact that figure next season to the degree Hunter’s will. Still, the former will be counted on as an experienced depth option as head coach DeMeco Ryans aims to guide the team’s defense to an improvement from 2023’s showing.
Chargers, Denzel Perryman Agree To Deal
MARCH 17: Perryman is indeed expected to re-join the Chargers on a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Fowler adds this will be a $3MM agreement. Given the departures of Murray and Kendricks, a starting role could very well await Perryman upon his return to Los Angeles.
MARCH 16: Denzel Perryman is eyeing a reunion with his former team. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the free agent linebacker has discussed a new deal with the Chargers. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston describes the recent talks as “productive.”
The former second-round pick spent the first six seasons of his career with the organization. Injuries kept him from reaching his full potential, and the linebacker ended up leaving the organization having started 51 of his 69 appearances.
After signing with the Panthers during the 2021 offseason, Perryman was promptly traded to the Raiders. He ended up having a career season in 2021, finishing with 154 tackles en route to a Pro Bowl nod. He got into another 12 games with the Raiders in 2022 before signing a deal with the Texans last offseason.
Perryman’s 2023 campaign was highlighted by continuous penalties for initiating contact with his helmet. After earning seven such flags through the first 10 weeks, Perryman was slapped with a three-game suspension by the NFL (eventually reduced to two games).
The veteran ended the season having started 11 of his 12 appearances, compiling 76 stops. He added another eight tackles in two playoff games. Pro Football Focus graded Perryman only 71st among 82 qualifying linebackers, but his score was brought down by one of the worst coverage grades at his position. The 31-year-old expressed interest in sticking in Houston for the 2024 campaign.
The Chargers will need someone to soak up linebacker snaps after Kenneth Murray Jr. and Eric Kendricks left via free agency. Nick Niemann is still around for one of the ILB spots, but inexperienced options like Daiyan Henley and free agent addition Troy Dye are the team’s other answers at the position.
Vikings Obtain Texans’ First-Round Pick; Team Hoping To Acquire Cardinals’ No. 4 Pick?
MARCH 17: Now that the Vikings have two first-round picks in the 2024 draft, ESPN’s Matt Miller says the “latest leaguewide rumor” is that Minnesota will use its newfound resource to acquire the Cardinals‘ No. 4 overall pick (subcription required). Arizona has Kyler Murray entrenched as its QB1 and could accelerate its rebuild with additional high-end draft capital to address non-QB needs.
Such a move would almost certainly give the Vikes the chance to select McCarthy, and there is a chance that Maye or Jayden Daniels may be available as well.
MARCH 15: More than a month ahead of the draft, the Vikings reached an agreement to acquire an additional first-round pick. Minnesota and Houston agreed to a trade Friday involving only draft picks.
The NFC North team will part with two second-rounders to move up this year. The Vikings will obtain the Texans‘ 2024 first-rounder — No. 23 overall — and a 2024 seventh in exchange for Nos. 42, 188 and a 2025 second-round pick, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report.
This will give the Vikings another asset if they are serious about moving up for a quarterback. The Texans, who obtained the No. 23 overall pick from the Browns in the Deshaun Watson trade, will not have a 2024 first-rounder now. But they now hold two second-rounders in 2024 and ’25.
Minnesota now holds the Nos. 11 and 23 overall picks in this year’s draft. The deal could give the team a chance to add two starter-caliber rookies to team with Sam Darnold. Perhaps more likely: it provides a team transitioning at quarterback — following Kirk Cousins‘ Falcons defection — with a better asset to acquire a long-term replacement. Early-offseason rumblings about the Vikings’ interest in trading up surfaced; this deal will provide them with a better chance at moving into range for one of the top QB prospects.
QB injuries have led the Vikings to continually turn to veterans at quarterback this century. Daunte Culpepper‘s six-season run as Minnesota’s QB1 ended with an October 2005 ACL tear. Teddy Bridgewater saw his time as the team’s starter end with a severe knee injury during training camp in 2016. The likes of Brett Favre, Sam Bradford, Case Keenum and Cousins have stepped in. But with Cousins moving on after six years — as the Vikings did not offer their longtime starter the guarantees the Falcons did in a four-year, $180MM deal — could put the Vikes on a path to make another first-round effort to land a passer.
Since the 1999 Culpepper pick, Minnesota has not enjoyed good luck choosing first-round passers. Neither Bridgewater nor Christian Ponder panned out as a long-term option. The Vikings, however, have never chosen a quarterback in the top 10 of a draft. The Nos. 11 and 23 selections could serve as the lead assets in a deal to potentially move into the top three, though it would not surprise to see the Patriots — who sit at No. 3 — to ask for more for a draft pick that could lead to a Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy investment. McCarthy may well be available further down the board, but the Michigan prospect’s stock is climbing. It is certainly possible the Vikings would be stuck with the draft’s fifth-best QB if they stay at 11.
Third-year GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will receive more attention this offseason, having a chance to grab his own quarterback after effectively renting Cousins for two seasons. Darnold agreed to a one-year, $10MM deal, but the former No. 3 overall pick should be considered a bridge QB. The Broncos also showed interest in Darnold, and while they may not have submitted an offer, this trade leaves another obvious candidate to select a QB lacking in ammo by comparison. Sean Payton‘s team — thanks to the move to acquire the head coach — does not have a second-round pick. Denver sits at No. 12.
For the Texans, this move marks a considerable change with regards to their 2024 draft arsenal. The Watson trade had given the team two 2024 firsts, but GM Nick Caserio dealt the team’s own pick to move up for Will Anderson last year. But the C.J. Stroud pick has changed Houston’s trajectory. Picking up seconds in back-to-back drafts provides Houston the opportunity to add more quality cost-controlled starters around its new franchise quarterback.
Texans, Jets Considered Keenan Allen Trades
Before Keenan Allen landed with the Bears, the veteran wideout attracted interest from a couple of other suitors. During his press conference today in Chicago, Allen said the Texans and Jets were the only other teams to express interest in a trade (via Adam Jahns of The Athletic).
[RELATED: Chargers Trade Keenan Allen To Bears]
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Texans finished second in the sweepstakes. The team offered the Chargers a 2025 third-round pick in exchange for Allen and a later pick. Instead, the Chargers opted for Chicago’s deal, accepting a fourth-round pick for the receiver.
As the Texans look to surround C.J. Stroud with as many weapons as possible, the organization has been mentioned a suitor for many wide receivers. Wilson writes that the rumors connecting the organization to some of the biggest names on the WR market are “inaccurate,” with the reporter pointing specifically to Deebo Samuel.
At the moment, Houston is set to return their same WR depth chart as 2023, with Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods, and recent re-signee Noah Brown leading the way. Considering the youth on offense, it isn’t a surprise the Texans would be eyeing a reliable veteran like Allen. On the flip side, considering the team’s depth, the front office doesn’t have to act with any urgency.
Meanwhile, the Jets’ interest in Allen was mostly exploratory. As Dianna Russini of The Athletic passes along, the Jets did not make an offer for the former Chargers wide receiver.
The Jets have Garrett Wilson firmly atop the depth chart, but the team would be a natural fit for another talented pass-catcher. The team got disappointing results from ex-Packers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb in 2023, but the duo’s struggles could be partly attributed to poor QB play. UDFAs Xavier Gipson and Jason Brownlee took on expanded roles as the 2023 campaign went along, but with Aaron Rodgers back in 2024, the team may not want to be as reliant on the young wideouts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/24
Friday’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Khyiris Tonga
Chicago Bears
- Released: OL Roy Mbaeteka
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: WR Trenton Irwin
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: LS Scott Daly, CB Khalil Dorsey
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: T Caleb Jones
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: T Charlie Heck
- Released: WR Jesse Matthews (failed physical)
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: LB Christian Rozeboom
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: TE Joe Fortson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: G Dan Feeney
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Stanley Morgan
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Chris Manhertz, TE Jack Stoll
Irwin gets a crack at a WR3 role in Cincinnati as Tyler Boyd heads to free agency. Irwin also holds experience as the team’s backup return man, filling in last year when Charlie Jones was injured.
Heck rejoins the Texans on a one-year deal worth up to $3.3MM. He’ll add some key depth at an important position.
Rozeboom was a restricted free agent who wasn’t tendered. Regardless, the two sides work out a fully guaranteed deal for 2024.
Feeney joins the Vikings on a one-year deal. Though far removed from a consistent starting role with the Chargers, Feeney has continued to find starts throughout his career as a valuable body off the bench.
The Giants bring in two tight ends without much receiving experience. Manhertz, a veteran whose played for the Panthers from 2016-20, has extensive starting experience as a blocking tight end with 53 starts in his career.
Texans To Sign DT Tim Settle
After a two-year stop in Buffalo, Tim Settle is heading south. The free agent defensive tackle is signing a two-year deal with the Texans, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
The two-year pact is worth up to $7MM with incentives, according to NFL Mike Garafolo.
Settle inked a two-year deal with Buffalo back in 2022 and only missed a pair of games during his two seasons with the team. He played mostly a backup role in Buffalo, getting into more than a third of his team’s defensive snaps. In his 32 games, he compiled 33 tackles and two sacks. He finished this past season ranked 81st among 130 qualifying interior defenders on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings.
The former fifth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career in Washington, where he started two of his 63 appearances. He had a career-high five sacks in 2020 but otherwise had two sacks in his other three seasons with the organization.
The Texans have been eyeing some DT depth after losing Sheldon Rankins to the Bengals and trading Maliek Collins to the 49ers. The team also attempted to sign Arik Armstead before the veteran signed with the Jaguars. Folorunso Fatukasi ended up catching on with the organization and can fill in at one of the starting spots, while Settle profiles as more of a depth piece in Houston.