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Texans Sign QB E.J. Perry, WRs Victor Bolden And Adam Humphries

August 13th, 2023 at 10:34am CST by Rory Parks

The Texans have made a series of additions to their roster. The club is signing quarterback E.J. Perry along with wide receivers Victor Bolden and Adam Humphries, as Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com reports in separate pieces.

Of course, the No. 2 overall pick of this year’s draft, C.J. Stroud, is set to open the season as Houston’s starting quarterback. The Texans are also rostering 2021 third-rounder Davis Mills and established veteran Case Keenum, so unless there is an injury to one of the three passers ahead of him on the depth chart, Perry appears to be in line for, at best, a spot on the practice squad.

After a strong collegiate career that culminated in his earning MVP honors for his performance in the 2022 East-West Shrine Game, Perry initially agreed to sign with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent last year. When it became clear that Philadelphia planned to add fellow quarterback Carson Strong to the roster, Perry pivoted to the Jaguars. He ultimately spent the season on Jacksonville’s taxi squad, and after signing a reserve/futures deal in January, he was waived in March. Houston subsequently claimed him but sent him back to the waiver wire in May.

After being cut by the Texans, Perry signed with the USFL’s Michigan Panthers towards the end of that league’s regular season. He appeared in two games with the club, including an overtime postseason loss in which he completed 23 of 38 passes for two touchdowns and an interception. The dual-threat player added seven carries for 22 yards and a score. As Wilson reports, the Panthers released him from his USFL contract so he could explore another NFL opportunity.

Bolden, now 28, signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent way back in 2017 and returned 19 kicks (20.8 yards per return) and four punts (5.8 yards per return) for the club that year. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season due to a PED violation and ended the campaign as a member of the Bills, for whom he returned five kickoffs. His last game with Buffalo in December 2018 is also the last time he saw regular season action for an NFL club, though he would spend time on the practice squads of the Lions, Cardinals, and Broncos in subsequent years.

Bolden’s efforts as a member of the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions in 2022, which included Wide Receiver and Special Team All-USFL Team acclaim and MVP honors in the 2022 USFL Championship Game, have kept him on the NFL radar. The diminutive speedster has just one NFL catch to his credit but will attempt to crack the back end of Houston’s WR depth chart, which is topped by Nico Collins, John Metchie, and Robert Woods, and which also includes free agent pickup Noah Brown and 2023 draftees Tank Dell and Xavier Hutchinson.

Humphries, 30, has plenty of NFL experience, and from 2018-20, he averaged 64 catches and just under 700 receiving yards per season as a key member of the Bucs’ receiving corps. His last professional action came as a member of the Washington Football Team in 2021, as he was unable to land a contract last season despite working out for the 49ers and Giants.

In corresponding moves, the Texans released cornerback Kendall Sheffield and UDFA running back Xazavian Valladay, who was given a $175K guarantee to sign with Houston.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/23

August 12th, 2023 at 7:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hayes was signed one week ago as the Lions were dealing with injuries in the secondary, but he will now be on the lookout for another new team. The 25-year has appeared in 13 career regular season games while bouncing around the league.

The Raiders added one ex-Chiefs running back in Damien Williams yesterday, and they have done so again today. Thompson was part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning squad in 2019, and remain with the Chiefs the following season. He made 31 combined regular and postseason appearances in Kansas City, but he has yet to see game action since 2020. Especially until Josh Jacobs returns to the Raiders, Thompson will aim to earn a depth role in the Vegas backfield.

49ers To Sign DE Breeland Speaks

August 11th, 2023 at 10:42am CST by Sam Robinson

10:42am: To make room on their 90-man roster, the 49ers placed Anthony Averett on IR, per the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman (on Twitter). A former Ravens and Raiders starter, Averett made two trips to IR during his season with Las Vegas. The 49ers have now placed two veteran cornerbacks — Averett and Terrance Mitchell — on IR over the past several days.

9:51am: The 49ers have taken a few fliers on ex-high draft choices at defensive end in recent years. Their latest such effort will involve a former second-round pick who generated interest as a USFL standout.

Breeland Speaks is signing with the team, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The former Chiefs draft choice worked out for the Broncos and Texans as well, but after a 49ers audition, he will attempt to become a depth piece in San Francisco.

While Speaks’ initial NFL run did not go as the Chiefs envisioned, he re-emerged on the radar with the Michigan Panthers. Speaks led the second-year league with nine sacks this year. He will join a 49ers roster that has seen more turnover among Nick Bosa‘s batch of D-end sidekicks. The 49ers lost Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam this offseason — to the Chiefs and Colts, respectively — and are currently without Bosa due to a holdout. Bosa is expected to land a monster extension soon, and the 49ers will have some new pieces in place alongside him.

The team added former No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell and ex-Cowboys first-rounder Taco Charlton this offseason. This comes after well-regarded D-line coach Kris Kocurek helped the likes of Omenihu, Ebukam, Kerry Hyder and ex-Ferrell Raiders teammate Arden Key raise their values after recent free agency accords (Hyder remains with the 49ers). A Speaks reclamation project will seemingly be a longer-odds proposition, but the 49ers will kick the tires on the recent USFL success story.

Brett Veach‘s first draft choice as Chiefs GM, Speaks has not played in an NFL game since 2018. Speaks, 27, missed all of 2019 due to injury and could not make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster in 2020. The former No. 46 overall pick ended up with the Raiders, Cowboys, Giants and Bills — on practice squad agreements — through the end of the 2021 season. Speaks finished his rookie year with 1.5 sacks, starting four Chiefs games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/8/23

August 8th, 2023 at 8:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: WR Johnny King
  • Waived: T Chim Okorafor
  • Activated from active/PUP list: WR Devon Allen

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Waived/injured: CB Andrew Whitaker

Washington Commanders

Flowers, who agreed to terms with the Patriots earlier today after a workout, suffered a foot injury in October of last season. That setback cut short a Dolphins run after four games. Flowers, who will turn 30 next week, last played for the Patriots in 2018.

McNichols joined Duke Johnson, Brian Hill and Jason Huntley at a recent 49ers workout. The 49ers are without Elijah Mitchell for what is expected to be a short stretch. A five-year veteran, McNichols most recently saw action for the Titans in 2021, helping the team as a pass-catching back (28 grabs for 240 yards) while Derrick Henry missed time with a foot fracture.

Allen suffered an injury while competing in the opening rounds of the 110-meter hurdles competition at the USA Track and Field Championships in July. The two-time Olympian owns the sixth-fastest hurdle time this year (13.04 seconds) but missed a key chunk of Eagles camp. This marks his second bid to make Philadelphia’s 53-man roster. Allen, 28, spent last season on the Eagles’ practice squad and stayed with the team via a reserve/futures contract in February.

The Panthers’ regular kicker, Eddy Pineiro, is battling a groin injury. Carolina gave Pineiro, their 2022 kicker, $2.25MM guaranteed earlier this offseason. The Jaguars’ primary kicker in 2021, Wright kicked in four Steelers games and two Chiefs contests last season.

A rookie UDFA, Whittaker suffered a torn patellar tendon in a recent Seahawks practice, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Matthews also sustained a season-ending injury — a torn ACL — during a Texans workout, Wilson adds (on Twitter).

Texans To Sign OL Rashaad Coward

August 8th, 2023 at 9:09am CST by Adam La Rose

Continuing to deal with injury problems along the offensive line, the Texans are adding further depth. Rashaad Coward is headed to Houston after working out with the team and signing a deal, reports Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.

Tytus Howard is dealing with a broken hand and faces the possibility of missing regular season time as a result. The team’s tackle depth was worsened further when Greg Little was placed on IR due to a back injury, and Charlie Heck is currently sidelined as well. Aside from veteran George Fant, who was signed as a high-end insurance policy and will start in place of Howard if needed, the Texans were short on bodies at the tackle spot.

Coward has seen time at right tackle dating back to when he was with the Bears. He could thus be used as an emergency option behind Fant on the depth chart, but he has more experience on the interior. Coward was used at right guard during the 2019 season, where he saw 10 of his 18 career starts.

The 28-year-old split his time between right tackle and left guard the following year, then signed with the Steelers. Coward was on the field for only two snaps on offense, however, and he joined the Cardinals last offseason. He did not survive the team’s final roster cuts, but was immediately signed to their practice squad. The former UDFA did wind up making four appearances in Arizona, though, including three starts at left guard.

Coward has earned poor PFF evaluations in each of his seasons with notable playing time, so Houston will be eyeing him strictly as a versatile backup. Given the injuries the team is dealing with at tackle (and along the interior with veteran center Scott Quessenberry having suffered ACL and MCL tears), though, he could find himself in the lineup at some point. Spot-start duties would be nothing new to Coward, and operating in that role could help his free agent market come next offseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/23

August 7th, 2023 at 8:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: OL LaColby Tucker
  • Activated from active/PUP list: DL Calais Campbell
  • Waived: DL Matthew Gotel

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Placed on IR: DT Devonnsha Maxwell

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Waived: OL Trevor Reid

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: LB Jordan Ferguson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Streveler is currently dealing with an injury, ESPN’s Dianna Russini tweets. The Jets used Streveler as their top backup QB to close last season, inserting him into a Week 16 game ahead of Joe Flacco. Streveler stuck around via reserve/futures contract in January. But the Jets have since traded for Aaron Rodgers and signed Tim Boyle, marking a new era at quarterback. With Zach Wilson still around, the team does not appear to have any room — potentially even on the practice squad — for Streveler, who has played for the Jets and Cardinals in a three-year NFL career.

Apke has been with Washington since being chosen in the 2018 fourth round. He re-signed with the team in 2022 and stayed via reserve/futures contract in January. A shoulder injury, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, will move Apke to IR, which will end his chances of playing a sixth season with the Commanders this year. Kalu started five games for the Titans last season, playing 494 defensive snaps. Over his first three seasons, Kalu had never cleared the 100-snap barrier on defense.

Schoonmaker suffered a foot injury, a plantar fascia tear, during his final year at Michigan. The Cowboys’ top post-Dalton Schultz tight end investment will aim to make a push for a regular role to begin the season.

The Dolphins made Blackman part of their UDFA class this year. The former Florida State starter spent six years in college, finishing up with Arkansas State. The Dolphins swapped out Teddy Bridgewater for Mike White this offseason, but Skylar Thompson has made a push to be Tua Tagovailoa‘s backup. Regardless of that competition’s outcome, Blackman’s ceiling appeared to be practice squad QB in Miami. But the Dolphins may be looking into outside help for that developmental role — provided the team plans on stashing a fourth passer on its taxi squad.

Texans Place T Greg Little On IR

August 7th, 2023 at 8:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Greg Little will not play for the Texans in 2023. The former second-round pick sustained a back injury, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, that led to Houston moving him to IR.

The Ole Miss alum is undergoing more tests, per Wilson, but this transaction will prevent him from playing for the Texans this season. Midway through the offseason, Houston signed Little to a one-year, $1.1MM deal that came with $100K guaranteed. The tests revealing Little will be able to return at some point during the season would open the door to an injury settlement that allows him to play elsewhere this season, but for now, the ex-Panthers and Dolphins blocker is out of the picture.

This marks another setback for Little, whom the Panthers drafted 37th overall in 2019. Starting six games in two seasons with Carolina, Little was unable to break through with the team that selected him and has not found his footing as a lineup regular to date. The Dolphins acquired Little for a seventh-round pick in 2021, but an injury kept him off the field that year. Little, 25, also finished the 2020 season on IR.

Besieged by injuries last season, Miami used Little as a seven-game starter. Little played a career-high 528 offensive snaps, making it through a full regular season without missing time. Pro Football Focus, however, graded Little as the league’s worst tackle regular in 2022.

The Texans were not planning to use Little as a starter, given the investments they have made at this position this year, but the team is a bit thin at tackle without him. Right tackle Tytus Howard suffered a broken hand and has undergone surgery. The recently extended blocker’s Week 1 availability is in doubt. Signed months after Little’s commitment, George Fant now stands to move into position opposite Laremy Tunsil up front.

Texans’ Tytus Howard Undergoes Hand Surgery

August 7th, 2023 at 2:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

2:50pm: ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Howard is facing a recovery timeline of four to six weeks. The NFL’s regular season opener will take place exactly one month from today, so he will have a chance to be available for Houston’s Week 1 matchup. Especially with Fant in place as a fill-in, though, it would come as no surprise if the Texans were to proceed with caution with their newly-extended blocker.

1:21pm: Tytus Howard has a new Texans contract in place, but he will be absent from the team for an extended stretch. Houston’s starting right tackle underwent surgery on a broken hand today, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).

While declining to give a firm timeline on the topic of recovery, head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed that Howard will be out for “a while.” That is obviously an unwelcomed development for both team and player, after the sides agreed to a three-year, $56MM extension less than two weeks ago. Howard is expected to be a mainstay on the Texans’ offensive line for the foreseeable future.

The 27-year-old is on the books along with blindside protector Laremy Tunsil to form the league’s most expensive tackle tandem. As part of Houston’s numerous investments up front this offseason, though, they do have experienced insurance in place. Veteran George Fant – who inked a one-year contract recently – will fill in for Howard while he is out. Fant has 83 games and 60 starts to his name.

With Charlie Heck currently on the PUP list and Howard now sidelined, plenty of attention will be on Fant to hold down the RT role. If Howard is able to return in time for the start of the regular season, the former Seahawk and Jet will return to backup duties. If not, though, Fant will be able to add considerably to his 2023 earnings. His deal with a base value of $2MM includes another $1MM in playtime incentives, as detailed by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 (Twitter link).

Howard, meanwhile, will look to recover as soon as possible to begin his play after signing a top-five right tackle deal. Building off his success from last season would prove the team’s investment to be worthwhile, while also helping ensure his long-term future with the Texans. Wilson tweets that the Alabama State’s extension includes $1.8MM in guarantees for his 2025 base salary of $15.5MM.

With the first two years of the pact guaranteed in full, expectations will be high for Howard when he returns. Today’s news marks a setback and the first major injury news since his rookie season, though with Fant in place the team is well-positioned to handle any potential extended absence.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/23

August 6th, 2023 at 8:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves as the weekend comes to a close:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Andrews joins Philadelphia as a potentially strong depth piece on the offensive line. The seven-year veteran has played 48 games over the years with five different teams, so rejoining the Eagles, even with a new staff from when he left, shouldn’t be too big of an issue. Last year, he started five of the six games he played with the Saints.

Woolen underwent arthroscopic knee surgery back in May and was given a four-to-six-week recovery timeline. He was forced to start camp on the physically unable to perform list, but it’s time for him to make his way back to the field. Last year’s other starter at cornerback, Michael Jackson, has had a great camp and rookie Devon Witherspoon is pushing for a starting role, so Woolen will be glad to get back and reestablish his role in the secondary.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/23

August 4th, 2023 at 7:36pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves as we head into the weekend:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Removed from commissioner’s exempt list: OL Josh Sills

San Francisco 49ers

Sills was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list back in February when a grand jury indicted him on counts of rape and kidnapping. The charges stem from an event that allegedly took place back in December 2019. Today it was announced that Sills was acquitted of both charges, according to sources at The Athletic. The Eagles released a statement that, with his adjudication, he will return to the team’s active roster.

The 49ers announced that Johnson has been placed on season-ending injured reserve. They didn’t disclose the injury that will sideline the young edge they signed two months ago.

The Vikings are adding the XFL’s 2023 leading rusher in Smith. Smith had 791 rushing yards in 10 games last year.

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