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Quintez Cephus

Texans Announce Final Roster Moves To Get To 53

August 26th, 2025 at 11:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans cut some big names on their way down to an initial 53-man roster. Here’s a look at all the moves they made:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/NFI:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on commissioner exempt/reserve/PUP:

The Texans took some flyers on some discarded veterans this offseason and, ultimately, decided to throw a lot of them right back in the pond. We’ve already gone into detail on Brown, Maulet, and Niemann, but it’s a bit shocking to the trade return for John Metchie get released after a little over a week. Houston even attached a fifth-round pick to Metchie to make the deal happen and received Bryant and a sixth-rounder in exchange. Now, all they have from that deal is a sixth-round pick.

Mills, like Brown, saw his 2024 season ruined by injuries, something not uncommon in Mills’ career. The Texans took a good look at him this offseason, but even with Ward’s ongoing issues, Mills will not debut for his fourth NFL team. Meanwhile, Cephus and Arnette continue to struggle on their way back to playing in an NFL game, while on the injury front, Smith joins fellow tight end Brevin Jordan on season-ending injured reserve.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 identifies both the rookie tight end Lachey (seventh round) and the undrafted rookie linebacker Ossai as players that the team will make a priority to bring back on the practice squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/25

August 6th, 2025 at 7:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

  • Waived/injured: TE Jordan Murray

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: TE McCallan Castles

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

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.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/25

July 28th, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: CB Keni-H Lovely

Baltimore Ravens

  • Activated from non-football injury list: LB Jake Hummel

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Activated from active/NFI list: S Josh Minkins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Jenkins, who switched to center this offseason, was dealing with a back injury in training camp and participated in a limited capacity on Monday, per USA Today’s Ryan Wood.

Evans, a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2023, played in 10 games as a rookie but didn’t make the 53-man roster in 2024. He joined the Jets’ practice squad in December and signed a reserve/futures contract in January, but opted to retire instead.

NFL Minor Transactions: 7/24/25

July 24th, 2025 at 8:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: G Michael Jordan, OL Tyler McLellan
  • Waived/injured: OL Silas Dzansi
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: OT Garret Greenfield

Washington Commanders

Following rumblings yesterday that Artie Burns may have suffered a season-ending injury, the bad news was confirmed today, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Dolphins cornerback indeed suffered a torn ACL. It’s a tough break for the veteran, who’s looking to revive his NFL career after being limited to only four games with the Seahawks last season. The Dolphins were quick to sign a replacement, as Miami signed Cornell Armstrong. A former sixth-round pick by the Dolphins, Armstrong last appeared in an NFL game in 2022, when he started four of his nine games for the Falcons.

The Buccaneers did some shuffling on their offensive line today. In comes a pair of lineman: Michael Jordan, who started 11 games for the Patriots last season, and Tyler McLellan, a six-foot-eight, 355-pound lineman out of Campbell. Garret Greenfield, a UDFA in the 2024 draft, has apparently decided to hang up his cleats, and the team also moved on from Silas Dzansi with an injury designation.

The Commanders were looking ahead to 2026 today, as the team added an extra year to Percy Butler‘s contract. The former fourth-round pick has had some run in the starting lineup, including a 2023 season where he started 13 games while compiling 64 tackles and eight passes defended. He started five of 17 games in 2024 while establishing himself as one of Washington’s special teams aces.

NFL Minor Transactions: 6/25/25

June 25th, 2025 at 8:28pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s only minor move:

Los Angeles Rams

Cephus’ return to the NFL will have to continue waiting. The former Lions receiver showed decent promise with noticeable improvement in Year 2 of his NFL career before a should injury ended his sophomore campaign after only five games. An attempted comeback season in 2022 resulted in another season-ending injury after only four games. An indefinite suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy kept him off the field in 2023, and though he signed deals with the Bills, Texans, and most recently the Rams, he failed to appear in games for any of the three in 2024. A return in 2025 will likely have to come in another city.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/20/25

January 20th, 2025 at 10:13pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest reserve/futures deals from around the league:

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Pittsburgh Steelers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/18/24

September 18th, 2024 at 8:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Signed: DT Dashaun Mallory

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: LB David Anenih

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Texans Place Case Keenum On Season-Ending IR, Reduce Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 7:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Several vested veterans hit the chopping block in Houston. Here is how the defending NFC South champions reached 53 today:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on season-ending IR:

Placed on IR/designated for return:

Placed on reserve/non-football illness list:

Placed on reserve/suspended list:

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 G Chris Reed, WR Quintez Cephus

July 16th, 2024 at 5:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Reed has secured a chance at a 10th NFL season, while Quintez Cephus has landed another opportunity with a team following his 2023 gambling suspension. The Texans will greenlight these depth signings.

After Reed played two seasons with the Vikings, KSTP’s Darren Wolfson notes he will land in Houston. Cephus reached an agreement to join a crowded Texans receiving corps, according to his agency. Cephus spent last season out of football but was among the gambling policy violators reinstated earlier this offseason. The Bills initially added Cephus following his reinstatement but cut him soon after.

[RELATED: Texans Sign UFL DE Malik Fisher]

This will mark team No. 6 for Reed, who is now a Titans agreement away from the AFC South cycle. Reed primarily operated as a Vikings backup but has made 30 career starts. He figures to mix in as a competitor for a swing role in Houston, which is returning multiple interior O-linemen after season-ending injuries.

The Panthers used Reed as a 14-game starter in 2020, when he played exclusively at left guard. Reed started six games for the Colts in 2021. He lined up at both guard spots, replacing Quenton Nelson and Mark Glowinski, that year. Reed also made eight starts for the Jaguars from 2016-18; a nomadic path followed.

Reed, who will turn 32 next week, spent most of last season on Minnesota’s reserve/NFI list. He logged all of two offensive snaps in 2023. The Vikings had turned to Reed as an emergency center late in the 2022 season, as Garrett Bradbury rehabbed an injury. The sides reached an agreement on a pay cut to keep the Minnesota State alum in the Twin Cities, but last season brought a clear step back for the ex-UDFA.

The Texans lost Josh Jones (to the Ravens) in free agency but have Kenyon Green and Kendrick Green returning from season-ending maladies. The former, a 2022 first-rounder, may have the inside track to start at left guard opposite the durable Shaq Mason. Kendrick Green, a former Steelers center starter who has not played much since that 2021 season, is in a contract year. Jarrett Patterson, whom Juice Scruggs is expected to supplant at center, also factors into Houston’s LG competition. Reed, who could certainly loom as a potential practice squad insurance option, figures to vie for an interior swing role.

Cephus, 26, was part of 2023’s first wave of players suspended for violating the gambling policy. The ex-Lion was found to have made NFL bets, leading to a full-season suspension. The Bills cut the former Lions role player after a few weeks. Cephus did amass 553 receiving yards between the 2020 and ’21 seasons, but the backup/special-teamer’s career has skidded off track.

The Texans will not have spots for all their notable names at receiver, making this a somewhat interesting addition. In addition to projected starters Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell, Houston rosters Robert Woods, Noah Brown, 2022 second-rounder John Metchie and trade acquisition Ben Skowronek. Cephus stands to have an uphill battle to make the team’s 53-man roster, and trade rumors figure to impact one or more of the Texans’ backup options.

Bills Sign S Dee Delaney, Release WR Quintez Cephus

May 16th, 2024 at 8:52am CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills have added depth to their secondary while giving their special teams a boost. The team announced on Thursday that safety Dee Delaney has been signed.

The 29-year-old began his career with one-year stints in Jacksonville and Washington. During that span, Delaney appeared in only three games, and he was all-but exclusively used on special teams. After seeing sparse defensive playing time with those teams (and spending brief tenures on the Dolphins’ practice squad and the Jets’ offseason roster in between), though, he found a home in Tampa Bay.

Delaney joined the Buccaneers in 2021, and in his first campaign with the team he played over 200 defensive snaps – a notable increase from the four he had previously logged. The former UDFA again saw most of his action come in the third phase, and that continued the following season. Last year, though, Delaney took on a rotational role in the Bucs’ secondary, seeing two starts. He notched career highs in interceptions (two) and pass deflections (five) while making 25 tackles.

Buffalo released Jordan Poyer as part of the team’s cost-cutting moves this offseason. His longtime running mate at the safety spot (Micah Hyde) is unsigned, and his playing future remains in doubt. The Bills brought in Mike Edwards during free agency and re-signed Taylor Rapp before selecting Cole Bishop in the second round of the draft. Delaney will therefore have plenty of competition for playing time in his latest home.

In a corresponding move, wideout Quintez Cephus has been released. The former Lion was signed last month in a deal which followed his reinstatement from a gambling suspension. That seemed to put Cephus on track for a rotational spot in the team’s receiver room, but Buffalo signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling earlier this week. Cephus, 26, will now return to free agency and attempt to find a new opportunity elsewhere.

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