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The Texans have released 26-year old CB Antwaun Molden. Molden played in 14 games for the Texans last season and he had 6 tackles. He played in 32 games in his three years with the Texans and he had 28 tackles. Most of his work was done on special teams. The Texans shouldn’t miss him too much, but he was quickly snapped up off waivers by the Patriots.
The Texans have signed 30-year old WR Bryant Johnson. Johnson played in 14 games (7 starts) for the Lions last year and he caught 18 passes for 210 yards (11.7 avg). He has now played in 123 games (74 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has caught 308 passes for 3,848 yards (12.5 avg) with 15 TD grabs. Johnson will likely serve as the Texans’ #4 or #5 WR in 2011.
The Texans took 23-year old RB Ben Tate in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He blew out his knee and didn’t play a down for the Texans last year, so he’s trying to make up for lost time. Tate has played in 2 preseason games for the Texans and he has 147 yards rushing on 20 carries (7.4 ypc) with 1 TD run. He has also caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg) so far in the preseason. Tate has already pushed Steve Slaton down the depth chart and he now has his sites on Derrick Ward.
The Houston Texans were extremely dominant last night against the 49ers in San Francisco. Matt Schaub completed 16 of 24 passes for 180 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (LB Ahmad Brooks returned this INT 13 yards for a TD). Matt Leinart was efficient as he completed 7 of 10 passes for 69 yards without a TD pass or INT. T.J. Yates finished this game at QB by completing his only pass attempt (it was good for 7 yards). Ben Tate led the way for the Texans in this game with 52 yards on 11 carries (4.7 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg). Chris Ogbonnaya pitched in with 42 yards rushing on 8 carries (5.3 ypc) last night. Arian Foster rushed for 38 yards on 8 carries (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 12 yards before leaving this game with a hamstring injury. Derrick Ward pitched in with 13 yards rushing on 6 carries (2.2 ypc) with 1 TD run last night. TE Owen Daniels (6 rec, 57 yards, TD) and WR Andre Johnson (4 rec, 57 yards) led the way for the Texans in the passing game last night. The Texans finished up with 172 yards rushing on 42 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 35 passes (68.6%) for 245 yards as they had possession of the football for 40:36.
The defense was dominating last night as they didn’t give up any points. LB Connor Barwin led the way for the Texans last night with 3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit. Safety Troy Nolan also had a huge impact with 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 73 yards for a TD. Safety Dominique Barber pitched in with an interception that he returned 16 yards. The 49ers finished up with 55 yards rushing on 16 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 8 of 22 passes (36.4%) for 50 yards last night. The Texans are now 3-0 on the preseason.
The Texans have lost 27-year old G/T Kasey Studdard for the season due to ankle surgery that he underwent last Friday. Studdard played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Texans last year. He has played in 25 games (14 starts) in his first four years in the NFL. This is going to hurt the Texans a little bit as Studdard has a lot of versatility, as he could fill in at either guard or tackle.
The Texans pushed the Saints around last Saturday night in Houston. Matt Schaub looked pretty sharp in this game as he completed 12 of 16 passes for 163 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs. Matt Leinart finished up at QB by completing 8 of 18 passes for 69 yards. RB Ben Tate was electric for the Texans in this game as he rushed for 95 yards on 9 carries (10.6 ypc) with 1 TD run. He also caught 1 pass for 13 yards in this game. Chris Ogbonnaya got a lot of work in this game too as he rushed for 51 yards on 15 carries (3.4 ypc). Arian Foster looked sharp too as he carried the ball 5 times for 47 yards (9.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 1 pass for 6 yards. WRs Andre Johnson (4 rec, 100 yards) and Jacoby Jones (4 rec, 26 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Texans. The Texans finished up with 208 yards rushing on 34 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 34 passes (58.8%) for 228 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:57.
The Texans looked sharp on defense in this game. LB Xavier Adibi led way for the Texans’ D with 6 tackles in this game. CB Brice McCain (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception), DE Tim Jamison (4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits) and OLB Brooks Reed (3 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) also had really solid games for the Texans. OLB/DE Mario Williams and DT Scooter Berry each pitched in with 1 fumble recovery apiece. The Saints finished up with 113 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 36 passes (47.2%) for 218 yards. The Texans are now 2-0 on the pre-season.
The Houston Texans are absolutely loaded at RB for the 2011 season. It all starts with 24-year old Arian Foster who really broke out last year. He played in 16 games (13 starts) for the Texans last year and he carried the ball 327 times for 1,616 yards (4.9 ypc) with 16 TD runs. He also caught 66 passes for 604 yards (9.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs last year. Foster led the NFL in both rushing yards (1,616) and TD runs (16) last year and he will be looking for a repeat in 2011. Foster has now played in 22 games (14 starts) in his first two years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 381 times for 1,873 yards (4.9 ypc) with 19 TD carries. He has also caught 74 passes for 697 yards (9.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his NFL career so far. Not bad numbers for an undrafted rookie.
30-year old Derrick Ward will be Foster’s caddy once again in 2011. Ward played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Texans last year and he carried the ball 50 times for 315 yards (6.3 ypc) with 4 TD carries. He also caught 7 passes for 61 yards (8.7 avg) last year. Ward could take over for Foster if he needs a break. Ward has now played in 81 games (9 starts) in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 506 times for 2,474 yards (4.9 ypc) with 10 TD runs. He has also caught 96 passes for 787 yards (8.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.
25-year old Steve Slaton finds himself #3 on the depth chart at RB for the Texans in 2011. Slaton played in 12 games (1 start) for the Texans last year and he carried the ball 19 times for 93 yards (4.9 ypc). He also caught 3 passes for 11 yards (3.7 avg) last year. Slaton has a 1,000+ yard rusher in his rookie season (2008) but he has fallen out of favor in Houston. Slaton has now played in 39 games (26 starts) in his first three years in Houston and he has carried the ball 418 times for 1,812 yards (4.3 ypc) with 12 TD runs. He has also caught 97 passes for 805 yards (8.3 avg) with 5 TD grabs so far in his career.
22-year old Ben Tate is back after missing his rookie season due to injury. He was a second round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Auburn. He is 5’11″, 219 pounds and he is a good all-around back when healthy. Tate could be a wild card for the Texans in 2011 if he can stay in one piece.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE TEXANS RBS IN 2011: A+
The Texans were very opportunistic on offense last night and the defense played very well setting up a lot of short fields. Matt Schaub started at QB for the Texans last night and he completed 2 of 5 passes for 20 yards. Matt Leinart followed Schaub into the game and he completed 8 of 14 passes for 78 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT. Rookie QB Tyler Yates finished up this game and he made some nice throws as he completed 6 of 12 passes for 97 yards. RB Chris Ogbonnaya led the way on the ground for the Texans in this game with 37 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.2 ypc) with 1 TD run. He also caught 6 passes for 67 yards (11.2 avg) with 1 TD grab. WR Lester Jean made a good impression last night with 2 grabs for 52 yards (26.0 avg). The Texans finished up with 42 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.3 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 31 passes (51.6%) for 179 yards last night. They only had possession of the ball for 23:56.
The Texans unleashed a very improved pass rush last night on the Jets and the result was 7 sacks! LB Bryan Braman led the way for the Texans on D last night with 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3 QB hits. DT Earl Mitchell was also impressive with 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit. LB Xavier Adibi also had a huge game with 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits. The Jets finished up with 100 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 46 passes (63%) for 210 yards.
The Texans have signed 29-year old WR Devard Darling and 25-year old RB Javarris Williams. Darling played played in the NFL back in 2008 with the Chiefs. Darling has played in 46 games (10 starts) in his first five years in the NFL and he has caught 37 passes for 578 yards (15.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs. Javarris Williams’ only NFL experience came back in 2009 with the Chiefs. He played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Chiefs in 2009 in which he carried the ball 6 times for 6 yards (1.0 ypc). Darling & Williams are both longshots to make the Texans but it never hurts to sign guys like this to provide depth.
UPDATE: (8/31/2011) – The Texans have placed Devard Darling on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a knee injury.
30-year old Matt Schaub was incredible last season. He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Texans last year and he completed 365 of 574 passes (63.6%) for 4,370 yards with 24 TD passes and 12 INTs (92.0 QB Rating). Schaub also carried the ball 22 times for 28 yards (1.3 ypc) for the Texans last year. This could be the year that Schaub starts getting the recognition he deserves, especially if Wade Phillips fixes the defense so the Texans can start winning a lot of games. Schaub has now played in 92 games (56 starts) in his first seven years in the NFL and he has completed 1,288 of 1,987 passes (64.8%) for 15,457 yards with 83 TD passes and 52 INTs (91.5 QB Rating). He also has carried the ball 142 times for 328 yards (2.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his NFL career. Schaub is only 25-31 (44.6%) as a starting QB in the NFL but that record is not his fault as the defense has been pretty terrible for the Texans.
28-year old lefty throwing Matt Leinart will be Schaub’s caddy in 2011. He didn’t get into any games for the Texans last year. Leinart has now played in 29 games (17 starts) in his first five years in the NFL and he has completed 340 of 595 passes (57.1%) for 3,893 yards with 14 TD passes and 20 INTs (70.8 QB Rating). He has also carried the ball 46 times for 90 yards (2.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far in his NFL career. Leinart is 7-10 (41.2%) as a starting QB in the NFL. I think he would play pretty well for the Texans if Matt Schaub gets injured.
24-year old rookie Tyler Yates will be a developmental #3 QB for the Texans. He played in a pro style offense at North Carolina, so he should be able to get up to speed pretty quickly.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE TEXANS QBS IN 2011: A