Texans Place Case Keenum On Season-Ending IR, Reduce Roster To 53
Several vested veterans hit the chopping block in Houston. Here is how the defending NFC South champions reached 53 today:
Released:
- FB Nick Bawden
- FB Andrew Beck
- QB Tim Boyle
- WR Noah Brown (story)
- T Cameron Erving
- CB Mike Ford
- T Charlie Heck
- CB C.J. Henderson (story)
- DB Lonnie Johnson
- CB Desmond King (story)
- LB Jacob Phillips
- G Chris Reed
- CB D’Angelo Ross
- T David Sharpe
Waived:
- DT McTelvin Agim
- LB Tarique Barnes
- DE Solomon Byrd
- WR Quintez Cephus
- G Dieter Eiselen
- DE Malik Fisher
- DE Ali Gaye
- FB Troy Hairston
- DT Marcus Harris
- WR Johnny Johnson
- CB Troy Pride
- WR Ben Skowronek (story)
- RB J.J. Taylor
- LB Max Tooley
- T Kilian Zierer
Waived/injured:
Placed on season-ending IR:
- S Brandon Hill
- QB Case Keenum
Placed on IR/designated for return:
- LB Christian Harris
- DT Kurt Hinish
Placed on reserve/non-football illness list:
- DL Dylan Horton
Placed on reserve/suspended list:
- DL Denico Autry (story)
Keenum was headed into the second season of a two-year deal with his original NFL team, but a major injury will sidetrack the veteran arm. A foot injury will sideline the 36-year-old quarterback, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Keenum is expected to be down for three or four months, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini adds. Houston still has Davis Mills, who is in a contract year, as its top backup behind C.J. Stroud.
A calf injury will shut down Harris for the time being, Wilson adds. The Texans used both their allotted IR-return moves. The team used the 2022 third-round pick as a 12-game starter last season. Harris has played at least 71% of the Texans’ defensive snaps in both of his seasons, explaining his being prioritized via the NFL’s IR rule tweak. Despite being a 2022 UDFA, Hinish has been a key rotational player in Houston in each of his two pro seasons.
Horton is in remission from his bout with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The second-year player completed his final treatment this spring but did not practice with the team during training camp. The Texans’ run of WR cuts leaves 2022 second-rounder John Metchie, who missed his rookie season after a leukemia diagnosis, and Robert Woods on the roster behind starters Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs. Cutting Jordan, a sixth-round pick from Louisville, leaves Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale and Cam Akers rostered behind Joe Mixon.
Texans To Sign OL Cameron Erving
Weeks after auditioning Cameron Erving, the Texans are set to sign the veteran offensive lineman. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reports that Erving is signing with the organization.
[RELATED: Texans Host OL Cameron Erving]
After dealing with their fair share of OL injuries last season, the Texans seemed to be doing their due diligence when they hosted Erving back in July. It didn’t take long for a need to arise. Per Wilson, offensive tackle Charlie Heck is currently nursing a flareup of plantar fasciitis, necessitating some extra depth at the position.
Erving certainly brings experience and versatility to Houston’s offensive line. The former Browns first-round pick bounced around the OL to begin his career, spending a significant amount of time at both offensive guard spots and center. He later started 22 games at left tackle for the Chiefs, Cowboys, and Panthers between 2019 and 2021 before barely seeing the field for Carolina in 2022.
It was a similar story in 2023, as Erving was buried on the practice squad with the Saints. He eventually got a chance to play when Ryan Ramczyk was placed on IR in December, with Erving starting two of his three appearances down the stretch. The 31-year-old didn’t play enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ leader boards, although his score would have placed him towards the bottom of the OT pool (continuing a trend of below-average grades from the site).
Heck’s injury doesn’t necessarily open a role for Erving, but the veteran should be able to soak up some snaps during training camp and the regular season. Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard are slotted in as the starting OTs, and the team is also rostering rookie second-round pick Blake Fisher. Erving’s versatility provides him some additional pathways to playing time, which could be notable since the left guard spot is up for grabs during training camp and the preseason.
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.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/28/23
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: RB Keaontay Ingram, DL Ben Stille
Houston Texans
- Activated from PUP: OT Charlie Heck
- Waived: LB Cory Littleton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to active roster: CB Ekow Boye-Doe
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: LB Jaelan Phillips (story)
New York Giants
- Released from NFI: TE Tommy Sweeney
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: CB Josiah Scott
Following the addition of Michael Carter and the return of Emari Demercado, the Cardinals didn’t have any room for Keaontay Ingram. The 2022 sixth-round pick got into 20 games across one-plus seasons in Arizona, collecting 181 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. If the running back passes through waivers, there’s a chance he lands on the Cardinals practice squad.
Charlie Heck is back on the Texans active roster after missing the first two-plus months of the season. The offensive lineman was recovering from a back injury that “involved sciatica that went down to his foot,” per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The former fourth-round pick will look to carve out a role after starting 17 of his 35 NFL appearances through his first three seasons in the NFL.
Texans Designate CB Derek Stingley Jr. For Return
The Texans should soon welcome back a key defender. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the team designated cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. for return from injured reserve.
The team will now have 21 days to activate the defensive back from IR. Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com notes that while Stingley returned to practice, he might not be back this weekend against the Bengals. Considering he’s been sidelined for more than a month, the team is thinking about extending the player’s ramp-up period with an eye on activation against the Cardinals in Week 11.
The former third-overall pick suffered a hamstring injury during a late-September practice, landing him on injured reserve. Stingley started each of Houston’s first two games this season, collecting nine tackles.
The Texans had high hopes for the LSU product when they used the third-overall pick on him during the 2022 draft. He was productive to begin his rookie campaign, collecting 43 tackles, one interception, and five passes defended. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 10 that ultimately forced him to miss the rest of the season.
Stingley wasn’t the only Texans player to return to practice today. Wilson tweets that the team also opened offensive tackle Charlie Heck‘s 21-day window for activation. The veteran has been sidelined since training camp while dealing with a foot injury. The former fourth-round pick has seen time in 35 games through his first three seasons in the NFL, including a 2021 campaign where he started 13 games.
Texans Set 53-Man Roster
The Texans are in the midst of a rebuild, but that doesn’t make their roster decisions any easier. The organization ultimately settled on 53 players today:
Released:
- DT Rashaad Coward
- DL Byron Cowart
- OL Michael Deiter
- WR Adam Humphries
- S Desmond King
- LB Christian Kirksey
- LB Cory Littleton
- LB Jacob Martin
- DB D’Angelo Ross
- TE Mason Schreck
- WR Steven Sims
- TE Eric Tomlinson
- TE Nick Vannett
- DE Chase Winovich
Waived:
- OL Tyler Beach
- DE Thomas Booker
- WR Jalen Camp
- CB Cameron Dantzler
- DL Khalil Davis
- OT Austin Deculus
- RB Gerrid Doaks
- CB Cobi Francis
- DL Ali Gaye
- DB Brandon Hill
- WR Johnny Johnson III
- DB Darius Joiner
- TE Dalton Keene
- OL Jimmy Morrissey
- OL Jordan Murray
- DE Adedayo Odeleye
- QB E.J. Perry
- RB Larry Rountree
- LB Garret Wallow
- WR Jared Wayne
- P Ty Zentner
Waived/injured:
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- OL Charlie Heck
Three veteran tight ends were let go in Mason Schreck, Eric Tomlinson, and Nick Vannett. Vannett has the most epxerience of the bunch, having seen time in 86 career games. He spent the 2022 seasons with the Giants and Saints, hauling in six catches. Tomlinson has appeared in 85 career games, including 34 over the past two seasons. He started 12 of his 17 appearances for Denver in 2022, serving mostly as an extra blocker.
Adam Humphries was an 800-yard receiver with the Buccaneers in 2018, but he’s compiled only 985 yards in three years since. He didn’t get into a game during the 2022 season, but he did haul in 41 catches for Washington in 2021.
Cardinals Trade OL Josh Jones To Texans
A busy day on the trade front for the Cardinals continues. Arizona is sending offensive lineman Josh Jones to the Texans, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Cardinals (who have now confirmed the deal) will send Jones and a seventh-round pick to Houston for a fifth-rounder (Twitter links). 
As is the case with hybrid defender Isaiah Simmons, Jones is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Like Simmons, the Cardinals and new general manager Monti Ossenfort will move on from a Steve Keim-era draftee instead of seeing Jones potentially depart next offseason in free agency.
Jones saw only 55 offensive snaps as a rookie, but he took on a much more significant role in the two years since. The 26-year-old played all 17 games (including 12 starts), and saw time at both right tackle and right guard in 2021. His versatility was showcased to a further degree this past season when he logged 622 snaps, all but 12 of which came at left tackle while filling in for an injured D.J. Humphries.
The former third-rounder earned a career-high PFF grade of 75.8 in 2022, showcasing potential if given a full-time starting opportunity. The Cardinals have Humphries on the books for the next three seasons, however, and first-round rookie Paris Johnson Jr. is set to start right away at right tackle. Kelvin Beachum was retained, and he will now be assured of the swing tackle role. Moving on from Jones will result in $2.74MM in cap savings for the Cardinals.
The move also represents another in what has been a busy offseason along the O-line for the Texans. Both tackle starters (Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard) have signed lucrative extensions, and guard Shaq Mason was acquired via trade with the Buccaneers and later signed to a new deal. Jones – a native of Richmond, Texas who played collegiately at Houston – will be in place as a backup to all three of those entrenched starters.
As KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes (via Twitter), the Texans are in need of capable depth at the right tackle spot in particular as the regular season approaches. Howard is recovering from hand surgery, and his Week 1 availability remains up in the air. Charlie Heck, meanwhile, will begin the season on the PUP list while dealing with foot and back injuries, per Wilson. That will sideline the former fourth-rounder for at least the first four games of the campaign.
The Cardinals and Texans worked out a trade on Day 1 of the draft which allowed the latter to move up to No. 3 on the board and select Will Anderson. It was the first of two swaps Ossenfort authorized which ultimately resulted in Johnson – the Cardinals’ top target to bolster their O-line – being selected sixth overall. The teams have now partnered once again, with one adding valuable depth and the other adding further to its draft cupboard as part of a full-scale rebuild.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/23
With a number of teams preparing for the start of training camp, a long list of players were placed on inactive lists today. We’ve compiled all of those and today’s other minor moves below:
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on NFI: DE Calais Campbell
- Waived (failed physical designation): RB Caleb Huntley
- Waived from IR: RB B.J. Baylor
Baltimore Ravens
- Claimed off waivers (from Giants): WR Makai Polk
- Placed on NFI: LS Nick Moore
- Released: WR Andy Isabella, WR Mike Thomas
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on PUP: LB Tyler Matakevich, LB Von Miller, DT Jordan Phillips
- Placed on NFI: RB Nyheim Hines
- Released TE Nick Guggemos
Chicago Bears
- Placed on NFI: WR Dante Pettis
- Waived: P Ryan Anderson, LB Sterling Weatherford
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from PUP: CB Chidobe Awuzie
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: CB Josh Butler
- Placed on PUP: CB Jourdan Lewis
- Placed on NFI: TE Luke Schoonmaker
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Nick Williams
- Waived: QB Jarrett Guarantano
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Cody Chrest
- Placed on NFI: LB Tariq Carpenter, S Tarvarius Moore
Houston Texans
- Placed on PUP: OL Dylan Deatherage, OT Charlie Heck, TE Teagan Quitoriano, CB Kendall Sheffield, DE Chase Winovich
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on PUP: DE Tyquan Lewis, TE Will Mallory, RB Jonathan Taylor
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Kyle Peko
- Waived: CB Isiah Brown, QB Chase Garbers
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from NFI: CB Ethan Bonner
- Placed on PUP: OT Terron Armstead, TE Tanner Conner, OT Isaiah Wynn
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: OT Bobby Evans
- Placed on NFI: WR Malik Knowles
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Jalen Hurd
- Activated from PUP: DT Justus Tavai
- Placed on NFI: OT Calvin Anderson, DL DaMarcus Mitchell
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OL Max Garcia
- Waived: TE Miller Forristall, G Koda Martin
New York Giants
- Signed: DE Tashawn Bower
- Placed on PUP: DT D.J. Davidson, G Marcus McKethan , CB Aaron Robinson, WR Wan’Dale Robinson, WR Sterling Shepard
- Waived: DB Trenton Thompson
- Waived/injured: LB Elerson Smith
- Released from IR (injury settlement): CB Leonard Johnson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Deon Cain, OL Dennis Kelly
- Placed on reserve/retired: DE Matt Leo
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Terrance Mitchell
- Placed on NFI: P Mitch Wishnowsky
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DE Levi Bell, DT Roderick Perry, CB Andrew Whitaker
- Released: CB James Campbell, CB Isaiah Dunn, LB Alton Robinson
Washington Commanders
- Placed on IR: TE Armani Rogers
- Released: QB Tim DeMorat
Free Agents
- Suspended: OT Isaiah Wilson
Isaiah Wilson hasn’t had an NFL gig since he was released by the Giants in January of 2022. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the free agent lineman was slapped with a three-game suspension, but it’s uncertain what led to the temporary ban. Wilson was a first-round pick by the Titans in 2020 but got into only one game with Tennessee before getting shipped off to Miami. He was waived by Miami after showing up late to his team physical, and his practice squad stint with New York only lasted one season.
Max Garcia is an experienced addition to the Saints OL room, with the veteran having most recently started seven of his 12 appearances with the Cardinals in 2022. The 31-year-old has 59 games of starting experience, although Pro Football Focus was iffy on his production last year (63rd among 77 qualifying offensive guards).
Following a three-year stint in Cleveland, Terrance Mitchell has spent the past two seasons bouncing around the NFL. He got into 14 games (13 starts) for the Texans in 2021, finishing with 60 tackles and 10 passes defended. He spent the 2022 season with the Titans, finishing with 39 tackles in 11 games (five starts). 49ers fifth-round pick Darrell Luter Jr. is set to miss some time with a knee injury, providing Mitchell with an opportunity during training camp.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/16/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: RB Devonta Freeman (story)
Detroit Lions
- Claimed (from Jets): CB Corey Ballentine
- Promoted: OT Will Holden
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Charlie Heck
New York Giants
- Promoted: WR C.J. Board, TE Chris Myarick
New York Jets
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Jamison Crowder
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/7/20
We’ll keep track of today’s late round signings here:
- The Ravens inked third-round pick Tyre Phillips. With the Mississippi State offensive lineman under contract, the Ravens have now taken care of seven of their ten draft picks. Phillips played tackle in college, but he’ll likely move to the inside with Marshal Yanda retiring.
- The Texans signed offensive tackle Charlie Heck, their fourth-round tackle.
- The Patriots signed third-round linebacker Anfernee Jennings (Alabama), sixth-round guard Michael Onwenu (Michigan), and seventh-round center Dustin Woodard (Memphis), according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Jennings wasn’t the most athletic rusher in this year’s class, but his hard-nosed playing style and technique made him a strong fit for Bill Belichick‘s defense. BB’s relationship with ‘Bama head coach Nick Saban likely helped to lead Jennings to New England. The Pats have also inked kicker Justin Rohrwasser, linebacker Cassh Maluia, and tackle Justin Herron (all of whom are Day 3 picks), leaving only three unsigned players in their ten-player draft class.
- The Bills signed a trio of picks from the back of their draft, per a club announcement: sixth-round kicker Tyler Bass, sixth-round wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, and seventh-round cornerback Dane Jackson. Hodgins, out of Oregon State, managed 86 receptions for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final year on campus.
- The Dolphins inked a pair of fifth-round edge rushers in Curtis Weaver (Boise State) and Jason Strowbridge (UNC), as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. The bulk of their 11-man draft class still remains unsigned, so there’s more work to be done.
