With Matt Schaub out of commission for at least the next four weeks the Texans needed someone to back up new starting QB Sage Rosenfels.  They decided to sign 29-year old Craig Nall to serve in that role.  Nall has played in 7 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 30 of 48 passes (62.5%) for 402 yards with 5 TD passes and 0 interceptions (123.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 10 times for 11 yards (1.1 ypc).  This was a solid move for the Texans as Nall has played well in limited action in his NFL career.

The Texans have signed fullback Cecil Sapp as the Broncos’ pipeline continues to flow to Houston.  The 29-year old Sapp played in 16 games (8 starts) with the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 18 times for 59 yards (3.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 14 passes for 51 yards (3.6 avg) with a TD grab last season.  Sapp has played in 49 games (9 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 49 times for 223 yards (4.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has also caught 24 passes for 102 yards (4.2 ypc) with a TD grab.  Look for Sapp to back up Vonta Leach at fullback and he could get some carries at halfback if the Texans’ suffer some injuries there.

The Texans have signed veteran safety Eugene Wilson.  Wilson played in 11 games (6 starts) for the Patriots last season and he made 31 tackles, defensed 3 passes and he intercepted a pass that he returned for a TD.  He was cut in training camp by the Bucs but the Texans needed some depth at the position so this move made perfect sense for them.  Wilson has now played in 62 games (55 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 251 tackles, has defensed 19 passes and he has intercepted 10 passes (1 TD return).

The Texans have signed 30-year old running back Marcel Shipp to compete for a job in the backfield.  Shipp played in all 16 games for the Cardinals last season and he carried the ball 15 times for 41 yards (2.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 4 passes for 25 yards (6.3 avg) last season.  The signing of Shipp might signal that the Texans are not happy with Ahman Green as there have been whispers that they might cut him.  Shipp has now played in 88 games (28 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 605 times for 2,197 yards (3.6 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  He also has caught 113 passes for 937 yards (8.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  This is a good signing for the Texans as Shipp is a very talented back.

The Houston Texans have signed running back Mike Bell as the Denver pipeline to Houston continues.  Bell is 6′0″, 225 pounds and he was lining up at fullback for Denver which shows that he runs with power.  Bell played in only 5 games (0 starts) for the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 6 times for 3 yards (0.5 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 7 yards last season.  Look for Bell to get a real chance to not only win a job with the Texans but to earn a lot of carries.  Bell has now played in 20 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 163 times for 680 yards (4.2 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  Bell has also caught 21 passes for 165 yards (7.9 avg) in his career.  This was a nice low risk/high reward signing for the Texans as Bell is a talented player.

UPDATE:  Wow, it didn’t take long for the Texans to get rid of Mike Bell as they have waived him.   He came to the Texans out of shape and that didn’t sit too well with head coach Mike Kubiak.