Houston Texans Depth Chart

The Houston Texans cut linebacker Duke Ejiofor with a failed-physical designation on Wednesday, according to the league's transaction wire. The Texans drafted Ejiofor in the sixth round in 2018 out of Wake Forest. He had nine tackles (six solo), two QB hits, two passes defensed, one fumble recovery and a sack in 12 games (no starts) in his rookie season, but he hasn't played since. The 26-year-old will need to get healthy in order to have a shot at latching on with another organization in a depth role.

2 days ago

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been getting recruited by former teammates and players across the NFL after he requested a trade earlier this offseason. Watson remains open to several options, including the Denver Broncos. Broncos safety Kareem Jackson said that Watson wants to be in Denver, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport doesn't think Denver is where Watson ultimately wants to end up. It's a potential landing spot, but the Broncos already acquired Teddy Bridgewater via trade to compete for the starting gig under center with Drew Lock. Complicating any trade is the fact that Watson is facing 20-plus lawsuits for sexual assault, so he could be facing a lengthy suspension in 2021 or 2022. As a result, Watson is an extremely risky QB1 for the upcoming season, regardless of where he's playing.

3 days ago

The Houston Texans signed former New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday. Burkhead has been more of a committee back in his career with the Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals, and he's likely to compete for the third-down role in Houston while also contributing on special teams. Texans general manager Nick Caserio is familiar with Burkhead from their time together in New England. Houston has a very crowded backfield with Mark Ingram II, Phillip Lindsay, David Johnson, Buddy Howell, Scottie Phillips and Dontrell Hilliard. The 30-year-old Burkhead had 67 carries for 274 yards (4.1 yards per tote) and three rushing touchdowns while adding 25 receptions for 192 yards and another three scores in 10 games (no starts) for the Pats in 2020. Given how many bodies are in Houston's backfield, it might take an injury or two for Burkhead to be relevant in standard-sized fantasy leagues this season.

11 days ago

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was a top-five deep passer last year in his first season without All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Watson is one of four quarterbacks to have a completion percentage over expectation of +6 percent or better on deep passes in each of the last two seasons. It helped that he was on a team that was forced to throw often to play catch-up. Watson had a completion percentage over expectation of +20.8 on deep passes in the fourth quarter or overtime last year, which was the highest mark in the entire league. We know that Watson has a cannon for an arm and is extremely athletic with his dual-threat ability, but the question mark surrounding him this offseason pertains to his sexual-assault lawsuits and whether he'll be suspended at all in 2021.

14 days ago

In the ongoing legal case against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, he can't be deposed before Feb. 22, 2022. Watson's case could play out well into the 2021 regular season, with depositions to begin in September. The 22 women suing Watson for alleged sexual assault will be deposed before Watson. According to his attorney, Rusty Hardin, Watson isn't in settlement discussions with the women suing him. Watson wants any settlement amounts to be public, but the two sides could mediate in confidentiality. He isn't currently attending organized team activities with the Texans, and the team loosely expects him to follow through on his trade desires by missing minicamp in June, too, according to a source. With Watson's case likely to carry on during the 2021 season, it's possible that a potential suspension wouldn't come until 2022.

17 days ago