Houston Texans News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/22/24

Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Commanders

The Ravens finally activated Maulet to the 53-man roster at the very end of his 21-day return window. The veteran slot cornerback underwent arthroscopic knee surgery during the preseason, but dealt with a minor hamstring injury upon his return to practice. To make room, Baltimore waived Ross, a special teams starter, likely hoping to add him back to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Maulet’s return could not be coming at a better time for a Ravens pass defense that was already struggling before starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey left Monday night’s victory over the Buccaneers with an injury.

 

The Panthers signed Gill off the Lions’ practice squad and Harris off the Dolphins’ practice squad to fortify their defense on Tuesday. They also released Haynes and waived Wooten and Smith as part of an overhaul of their weak front seven.

 

The Giants signed Watts from their practice squad to strengthen the interior of their defensive line while waiving Basham, a former Bills second-round pick who arrived in New York via trade in August 2023. Giants general manager Joe Schoen was the assistant GM in Buffalo when Basham was drafted, while Giants head coach Brian Daboll was the Bills’ offensive coordinator. Schoen traded a sixth-round pick in exchange for Basham and a seventh-rounder from the Bills just before the 2023 regular season, but Basham did not record a single sack in 13 games as a Giant.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/22/24

Here are today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: S Erick Hallet

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Prince played under Brian Callahan in Cincinnati but has only played two games over the past two seasons. A six-game starter with the Dolphins and Bengals, Prince missed all of the 2020 season due to a COVID-19 opt-out and then all of the 2022 season due to injury.

The Vikings cut Tonyan from their 53-man roster earlier today, but because the NFC North mainstay is a vested veteran, he did not need to clear waivers before joining Minnesota’s practice squad. With T.J. Hockenson on the way back, Tonyan profiles as insurance.

This is a third chance for Marshall. The Panthers waived him after three seasons. No team claimed the former second-round pick, with Joe Brady‘s Bills passing. The 49ers took a flier soon after but released him last week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/24

Today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad callups:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Autry was hit with a six-game PED suspension in July, leaving the Texans without a key figure along the defensive line. The free agent pickup could have suited up by means of Houston using his one-week roster exemption; instead, he has been activated in time for Week 7. Autry, 34, posted a career-high 11 sacks last season and he will look to make an immediate impact during his Texans debut. Especially with Mario Edwards having been issued a four-game suspension of his own earlier this week, he should have a notable role right away.

NFL Injury Updates: Texans, Carr, Dean, Lowe

The Texans defense played without rookie starting cornerback Kamari Lassiter last weekend, and they may be without him for a bit longer. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Lassiter is expected to miss a few more games due to the scapula injury he suffered against the Bills nearly two weeks ago.

Wilson emphasized that Lassiter is improving and that he is expected to make a full recovery with no surgery, but for now, he’s a ways off from returning to the field. Another defensive back who is expected to miss his second straight game is veteran safety Jimmie Ward, who sat out last week’s contest after aggravating a groin injury.

Lastly, undrafted rookie running back British Brooks, who was placed on injured reserve 10 days ago, has undergone successful knee surgery, per Wilson. The procedure to repair Brooks’ torn meniscus took place yesterday. He is expected to make a full recovery but isn’t expected to return this season. Brooks should be ready for organized team activities in the spring.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NFL:

  • After a promising 2-0 start, the Saints‘ 2024 campaign has taken a slide with five straight losses, partially due to the injury and absence of quarterback Derek Carr. Well, it appears that Carr will be out at least one more week. Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Carr may be trying to come back by Week 8 to plays the Chargers, a team he’s very familiar with, but the team views the Week 9 trip to Carolina or the Week 10 matchup versus the Falcons as more likely return-dates for their quarterback. Head coach Dennis Allen echoed this sentiment, telling Matthew Paras of The Times-Picayune that he wasn’t sure whether or not Carr would play in Los Angeles but claiming that it was “very likely” that he’s back in time for the Panthers.
  • After leaving this past Sunday’s game in New Orleans early with a hamstring injury, Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean has not practiced this week. Greg Auman of FOX Sports believes that Dean is likely headed towards a multi-week absence. While a stint on IR may be in the cards, the Buccaneers haven’t gone that way just yet.
  • Patriots left tackle Vederian Lowe is another player who left this weekend’s games early. He underwent an MRI on Monday that confirmed the expected diagnosis of an ankle sprain. While Lowe has been downgraded to out for this weekend’s game in London, New England expects to see him back in the near future, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/24

Today’s minor moves in the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Nichols is reportedly out for the season, per the Cardinals, but Prater could still return after an additional four-game absence. He’s already missed two games so far with a left knee issue. The 40-year-old was a perfect six-for-six on field goal attempts this year while 10-for-10 on extra points.

The Browns lose an important depth lineman in Harris. Harris started games at left tackle and center as an injury replacement this year, but he’ll be out for at least the next four games with an ankle injury.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris reported that Abernathy will be out for a “significant time,” per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Texans To Trade Cam Akers To Vikings

While not quite on the level of the two receiver trades from earlier Tuesday, the Vikings and Texans will collaborate on another swap during a busy NFL day. Cam Akers is on the move again.

The Texans are trading the fifth-year running back to the Vikings, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. This will mark the second year Minnesota has acquired Akers in-season; the team brought him in from Los Angeles early last season.

Akers and a 2026 seventh-round pick are going to the Vikings, with Pelissero adding a 2026 sixth-rounder — as part of a standard pick-swap agreement — is coming back to the Texans. With Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce missing time this season, Akers had worked as a fill-in starter. Mixon and Pierce returned in Week 6, and pass-down specialist Dare Ogunbowale is on Houston’s roster as well. This gave the AFC South leaders some flexibility, and it will lead to Akers heading back to the Twin Cities.

The former Rams second-round pick will head to a team with a recent running back issue, as Aaron Jones left the Vikes’ Week 5 game due to a hip injury. This deal is not a reflection on Jones’ availability, per Pelissero, as the starter has a shot to play coming out of Minnesota’s bye week. Akers will join Jones and reunite with Ty Chandler in the Vikings’ backfield. Akers, 25, is tied to a one-year, $1.18MM deal. With five Vikings games in the books, the team will add Akers at less than $1MM in base salary.

Akers’ previous Minnesota stay did not end well. The former Super Bowl starter suffered the second Achilles tear of his career. While the first of those injuries sidetracked Akers in L.A., he has rebounded from the second one to play a role for a division-leading team. He signed with the Texans just before training camp. As Akers heads to another, he will bring a 40-carry, 147-yard, one-touchdown stat line with him. The Texans used Akers as a two-game starter, with Ogunbowale receiving extensive time as well. Akers caught a touchdown pass against the Vikings in Week 2 — the Texans’ only points in a 34-7 loss — and The Athletic’s Alec Lewis notes the Florida State alum was popular with the coaching staff last season.

This move may well be a lateral transition for Akers, who would top out as a Vikings third-stringer if Jones returns to full strength soon. Jones not being ready for Week 7, however, would give the Vikings a need behind Chandler. Akers totaled 208 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in six Vikings games last season, rejoining ex-Rams OC Kevin O’Connell in Minneapolis. The 5-0 Vikes will bring him back for some insurance.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/14/24

Monday’s practice squad transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/14/24

Here are the latest transactions from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Houston Texans

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Jones will get to make his Cardinals debut in Week 7 after serving a five-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Arizona requested and received a one-week roster exemption so Jones could get acclimated to his new offense before being added to the 53-man roster. He will bring a veteran presence to a young Cardinals receiver room that lost Marvin Harrison Jr. to a concussion on Sunday.

Texans DL Mario Edwards Issued Four-Game Suspension

The Texans will get Denico Autry back from suspension in Week 7, but the team will be without Mario Edwards for a notable stretch. The latter was issued a four-game ban for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Edwards will thus be sidelined until Week 10, dealing a notable blow to Houston’s defensive front. The free agent pickup has logged a 59% snap share so far this season. That matches the highest total of his career, so his absence will be felt as the team looks to continue its strong start to the campaign.

An NFL journeyman well before he decided to head to Houston, Edwards spent his first three seasons with the Raiders. That time was followed by short stints with the Giants, Saints, Bears, Titans and Seahawks. The 30-year-old inked a one-year deal to return to the AFC South this spring, signing for just over the veteran minimum ($1.65MM, $500K guaranteed). Serving as a full-time starter during his debut Houston campaign, Edwards has provided strong value to date.

The Florida State product posted one sack in each of the team’s first two games, and he recorded a season-high eight tackles during Sunday’s win over the Patriots. That production could be difficult to replace in the short term, although getting Autry back will certainly help in that regard. Autry received a six-game PED suspension in July, but now that he has served that penalty the Texans will receive a one-week roster exemption for him. A corresponding move will need to be made for Autry to return to the active roster if he is not activated ahead of Houston’s Week 7 game.

Edwards is once again a pending free agent, and today’s news is obviously an unwanted development with respect to his market value. A strong start to the season will lead to his expectations for his return, however. The Texans rank third in total defense, and they will look to remain among the league’s top units without Edwards in the picture for the time being.