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Updated Roster (Post-Draft)

Dutchrudder said:
Yeah, why not? We don't really need 7 CBs to rotate through an entire game. James would probably be #6 CB on the team, so not quite a gameday inactive player, but not really affecting the game on defense all that much. Having the versatility of a CB/RB/Special Teams player would be really nice. With only 45 active roster spots, we need players that can be flexible and contribute in different ways. If he gets 10 plays on offense as a RB, 10 plays as a CB, and all the special teams gunner/coverage plays, he should end up with a balanced workload each game. Not sure you want him on the field as a CB for that many plays though, he still needs to grow and develop on that side.
Click to expand...

Gunner will be James most important position.
 
In a perfect world were we can have hoyer stay healthy for 16 games plus playoffs and play well and just have savage hold the clip board all year we could cut mallett and save a,roster spot to a good player that we will be forced to cut
 
ObsiWan said:
I'd have kept Khari Lee over Fiedorowicz. Sorry but F150 hasn't really shown me anything.
Click to expand...
I think Fido's got enough potential to give him another year (and different QB's throwing to him) to see what happens. I did project Lee to make the 53 over Griffin, and still wouldn't have minded seeing it happen.
 
Seegara said:
Didn't they even put Tarpinian on the practice squad?
Click to expand...

Wouldn't Tarpinian have too much experience now to PS?

  • A player is eligible if he does not have an accrued season of NFL experience. Players gain an accrued season by being on the active roster for at least six games.
  • If a player has one accrued season, they can still be practice squad eligible if they were on the 45-man active gameday roster for less than nine regular season games.
  • A player is deemed to have served a season on the practice squad if he remains on the practice squad for at least three weeks. Players are eligible to be on the practice squad for two seasons.
  • Players can be eligible for a third practice squad season if their team maintains no less than 53 players on the active/inactive list at all times.
He's already played in 44 games over 4 seasons.
 
ChampionTexan said:
I think Fido's got enough potential to give him another year (and different QB's throwing to him) to see what happens. I did project Lee to make the 53 over Griffin, and still wouldn't have minded seeing it happen.
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I honestly thought the most vulnerable TE was Graham because his salary was too high for his level of play. I had high hopes for him, but he just hasn't played like a $3M man.
 
Seegara said:
Thanks everybody. More of the many and complex rules I didn't know. My old snuff-dipping grandpappy used to say, "Rules are for fools and schools are for mules."
Click to expand...

Gotta love snuff dipping grandpappy references.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
I hope Smith cuts their noses off.
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We might make several trades before Friday's deadline. Teams low in the waiver wire pecking order are more likely to have late picks each round so a known entity would cost less to them than it would for a team with early picks each round.

I'm just glad we've become players improving the roster year round rather than only at the traditional times.
 

By SOTT's estimation three (53-man) roster spots and 10 practice squad spots. This leaves 13 total spots available for the taking. Now it is time to take a closer look at what’s at stake on Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys.
...

Position battles

Jumal Rolle vs. Charles James II vs. Lonnie Ballentine
The magic number of defensive backs appears to be eleven; either 7 cornerbacks and 4 safeties or 6 cornerbacks and 5 safeties. The trio of Jumal Rolle, Lonnie Ballentine and Charles James seems to be the focus and determining who could be the best combination for now with the future in mind is what is important. Ballentine, despite his injuries over the past year, is an intriguing height/weight player who can run better than most at his position. He has plenty of room to develop and the highest ceiling of the three. As for Rolle and James, it is between the better coverage player in Rolle against the special teams and fan favorite in James. It is going to be a tough decision no matter what, but one of the three appears to be on the outs.

Chad Slade vs. Greg Mancz
The two rookies are in a big position battle to land on the 53-man roster and both are raw rookies with upside. Both play multiple positions, with Slade able to play guard and tackle while Mancz is getting work at center and guard. The Texans took eight lineman all of last season and one of these rookies is up for the potential 8th spot on the offensive line depth chart.

Kourtnei Brown vs. the NFL free agent player pool
Lynden Trail and Carlos Thompson are not ready to contribute at the NFL level just yet, so practice squad appears to be the spot for both of them. Brown is interesting in the fact that he has produced some of the best impact plays of the preseason, but if you take those away, he has been inconsistent with his fundamentals especially in setting the edge. Brown is not assured of anything for the 53-man roster and he could be facing the player pool of outside linebackers that is going to be released over the next few days. Texans need to upgrade that 4th outside linebacker position, but if they can’t find anyone, Brown might land it by default.

Kenny Hilliard vs. Chris Polk
We don’t really know if there is a direct competition between the two, but it is hard to see the team cutting loose a draft pick so early. Hilliard gives the Texans a 1st and 2nd down player who can be a short yardage back as well. Polk is very similar to Jonathan Grimes, who appears to have a roster spot in hand for week one. The Texans will be carrying four running backs for the season with the Arian Foster injury. Whether it will it be Polk or Hilliard is the question.

Wide Receivers Jam Packed
It appears the wide receiver position group could be narrowed down to five wide receivers, with Damaris Johnson, Chandler Worthy, Uzoma Nwachukwu, and Keshawn Martin on the outside looking in. Worthy and Nwachukwu could be practice squad options but only time will tell when the team gets there.​
 
Playoffs said:
By SOTT's estimation three (53-man) roster spots and 10 practice squad spots. This leaves 13 total spots available for the taking. Now it is time to take a closer look at what’s at stake on Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys.
...

Position battles

Jumal Rolle vs. Charles James II vs. Lonnie Ballentine
The magic number of defensive backs appears to be eleven; either 7 cornerbacks and 4 safeties or 6 cornerbacks and 5 safeties. The trio of Jumal Rolle, Lonnie Ballentine and Charles James seems to be the focus and determining who could be the best combination for now with the future in mind is what is important. Ballentine, despite his injuries over the past year, is an intriguing height/weight player who can run better than most at his position. He has plenty of room to develop and the highest ceiling of the three. As for Rolle and James, it is between the better coverage player in Rolle against the special teams and fan favorite in James. It is going to be a tough decision no matter what, but one of the three appears to be on the outs.

Chad Slade vs. Greg Mancz
The two rookies are in a big position battle to land on the 53-man roster and both are raw rookies with upside. Both play multiple positions, with Slade able to play guard and tackle while Mancz is getting work at center and guard. The Texans took eight lineman all of last season and one of these rookies is up for the potential 8th spot on the offensive line depth chart.

Kourtnei Brown vs. the NFL free agent player pool
Lynden Trail and Carlos Thompson are not ready to contribute at the NFL level just yet, so practice squad appears to be the spot for both of them. Brown is interesting in the fact that he has produced some of the best impact plays of the preseason, but if you take those away, he has been inconsistent with his fundamentals especially in setting the edge. Brown is not assured of anything for the 53-man roster and he could be facing the player pool of outside linebackers that is going to be released over the next few days. Texans need to upgrade that 4th outside linebacker position, but if they can’t find anyone, Brown might land it by default.

Kenny Hilliard vs. Chris Polk
We don’t really know if there is a direct competition between the two, but it is hard to see the team cutting loose a draft pick so early. Hilliard gives the Texans a 1st and 2nd down player who can be a short yardage back as well. Polk is very similar to Jonathan Grimes, who appears to have a roster spot in hand for week one. The Texans will be carrying four running backs for the season with the Arian Foster injury. Whether it will it be Polk or Hilliard is the question.

Wide Receivers Jam Packed
It appears the wide receiver position group could be narrowed down to five wide receivers, with Damaris Johnson, Chandler Worthy, Uzoma Nwachukwu, and Keshawn Martin on the outside looking in. Worthy and Nwachukwu could be practice squad options but only time will tell when the team gets there.​
Click to expand...

Does EZ have any Practice Squad eligibility left?

As for the battle with Slade and Mancz, it should be interesting. With the pick up of Clark I would think Slade's chances just dropped but I'm not sure after seeing Mancz's troubles last game at Center when he didn't snap the ball to Savage on 2 different plays. They lucked out the 1st time and the Saints got a questionable call against them, but you could see the frustration in Savage both times. If their not sold on Ferentz being the backup Center then I think Mancz would have the inside track to get that 8th spot. Should be interesting to see how much and how well each plays tonight.
 
Insideop said:
Does EZ have any Practice Squad eligibility left?

As for the battle with Slade and Mancz, it should be interesting. With the pick up of Clark I would think Slade's chances just dropped but I'm not sure after seeing Mancz's troubles last game at Center when he didn't snap the ball to Savage on 2 different plays. They lucked out the 1st time and the Saints got a questionable call against them, but you could see the frustration in Savage both times. If their not sold on Ferentz being the backup Center then I think Mancz would have the inside track to get that 8th spot. Should be interesting to see how much and how well each plays tonight.
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Yes.
 
All I know is they need to cut old man Nate Washington if they choose him over one of the younger guys then wow

The position for the two back up guard spots is heated I really think xilo filo would be cut now if he was not a 2nd!!!! Round pick u think he's a backup now tho
 
SOTT The Final Cut: Texans 53-Man Roster V.3.0

Here is SOTT's final prediciton of the Houston Texans final 53.

Offense

Quarterbacks (3)

Brian Hoyer
The day one starter.
Ryan Mallett
A snap away, but will be interesting to see how he handles to back up role.
Tom Savage
Good chance not seen until 2016. Might be developing into something more for next year. Concern for Savage's injury against the Cowboys comes an issue. If serious enough, it will end his season and open another roster spot.

Running Backs (5)

Arian Foster
Will not land on the injured reserve. His recovery from his surgery is going as planned. Expected back in the 1st-quarter of the season.
Alfred Blue
The starter until Foster gets back healthy.
Jonathan Grimes
Can run, block and catch passes at a good rate. Also a key piece of the special teams.
Kenny Hilliard
The Texans short yardage back. Also been working on special teams.
Jay Prosch
A much better player in year two. Showing some real full back qualities this year.

Tight Ends (3)

Garrett Graham
Will be used split out and as a H-Back. The pass catching threat of the trio.
C.J. Fiedorowicz
Still backing on him to make the leap as a player. Will get plenty of work to prove it.
Ryan Griffin
Possilby the most well rounded of the group. Turning into a viable pass catchin option for the offense.

Wide Receivers (5)

DeAndre Hopkins
The bonafied #1 wide receiver for the offense.
Nate Washington
The vertical threat of the offense. His veteran presence is key for a young team.
Cecil Shorts III
The starting slot wide receiver. Has the potential to be a big contributor in the offense.
Jaelen Strong
Spot filler this year. Should be a developmental year but will get playing time throughout the seaosn.
Keith Mumphery
Will be used in the slot during four wide receiver sets. Also will be the primariy punt returner for the season.

Offensive Line (8)

Duane Brown
Starting left tackle, his thumb injury is something to watch for the start of the season.
Jeff Adams
The starting left guard until Su'a-Filo gets healthy. Also can play offensive tackle.
Ben Jones
The team's starting center, need an anchor that can control bigger players.
Brandon Brooks
Starting right guard. Big year for him being a contract year.
Derek Newton
Starting for the fourth consecutive season. Newton is becoming a staple of the offensive line.
Chris Clark
Traded for and now on the 53-man roster. Here to start if Duane Brown can't go week one.
Xavier Su'a-Filo
A high ankle sprain is keeping him on the shelf. When he comes back he will be eased into the left guard position.
Chad Slade
Texans need beef on the inside and Slade is the most ready to help if needed. His size and strength will make him decent depth.

Defense
Defensive Line (6)

J.J. Watt
We know what he brings.
Vince Wilfork
Adding him to the defensive line will open up for more option around him.
Jared Crick
Contract year. Been playing in the shadows, this year he can make his name known.
Louis Nix
Primary back up at the nose, also will be used in short yardage situations. Been a good camp for Nix.
Christian Covington
The pass rusher for sub-package looks. Is ready to contribute right now as a rookie.
Jeoffrey Pagan
The primariy back up as a base defensive end. Pagan will also be used when the Texans use their goal line personnel.

Outside Linebacker (4)

Jadeveon Clowney
Going to be eased back into the rotation, still on target for week one.
Whitney Mercilus
The most complete of the group. Can play the run and pass rush, is a three down player for the defense.
John Simon
The starter opposite of Clowney. He is a strong player at the point of attack and has some pass rush ability.
On another NFL Roster Some will want to see Kourntei Brown here, but there are better options out there that will soon be released.

Inside Linebacker (5)

Brian Cushing
His health is finally back and he looks like he is ready for big thing in 2015.
Mike Mohamed
Hard not to like "Mo" and what he brings. Will be the week one starter next to Cushing. A three-down player for the defense.
Benardrick McKinney
Recovering from a MCL issue he suffered during the second preseason game. McKinney will be used during the season in base defense and special teams.
Akeem Dent
A good third linebacker that can handle duties on the inside of the defense. Special teams value too.
Justin Tuggle
It is close but Tuggle gets the nod due to his athleticism and work on special teams. It is a close race between him and Max Bullough for the final spot.

Cornerbacks (6)

Johnathan Joseph
The veteran of the group and week one starter. The fifth consecutive season he starts next to Kareem.
Kareem Jackson
New year and new contract. Time for Jackson to prove he is worth his deal and keep growing as a player.
Kevin Johnson
The rookie has been impressive. Still a little rough around the edges in coverage but it is going to be hard to keep him off the field.
A.J. Bouye
The starting nickle cornerback, will have to hold of the rookie in Johnson for the job as the season progresses.
Darryl Morris
One of the best tacklers fromt he secondary. Good filler when someone needs a break and a key special teams player.
Jumal Rolle
It's a coin flip. But Rolle showed last season that he has what it take to compete at this level. NFL size and still room to grow as a player.

Safeties (5)

Rahim Moore
The leader and starter of the group. Moore is an important piece of the group. The defense will depend on him in a big way this year.
Eddie Pleasant
Could be the starting safety week one in base but he will be an important piece of the defense in dime personnel.
Andre Hal
As time has progressed, he has been passed up at safety. Pleasant and
Quintin Demps
In the dicussion to start week one. The veteran will be one of the top three safeties for the season.
Lonnie Ballentine
His athletic ability and what he has shown over the past two preseason games is too good to pass up.

Specialty (3)

Shane Lechler
Randy Bullock
Jonathan Weeks

Outside Looking In

Chris Polk
Just dont see the Texans getting rid of a draft pick in Hilliard for Polk.
Max Bullough
Outside again for the second year. Might be worth a practice squad stash.
Charles James
Flip a coin between him and Jumal Rolle. They both can help the 53-man roster.
Kourtnei Brown
He is the favorite to land on the 53. There will be better players out there coming via cuts.

Practice Squad (10)

Tevita Finau
Good depth on the practice squad. Ready to help if needed.
Chandler Worthy
Return and slot player potential
Uzoma Nwachukwu
Third year of the wide receiver to be here. Speed doesn't grow on trees.
Greg Mancz
Center and Guard potential. Needs a year of growth.
James Ferentz
Center known as "Brick" he has the strong football back ground to contribute if needed.
Kendall Lamm
Potential at left tackle. Needs a year in the Texans program.
Carlos Thompson
First year to OLB. Played DE in college. Has shown come flash at the position.
Kurtis Drummond
Has a chance to develop. Steady player at the position.
Max Bullough
Have to have an ILB. Bullough goes here after not making the 53.
Charles James
Don't know if he makes it through waivers, but he needs to be kept on the team somehow.​
 
Charles James makes latest Texans roster projection
Tania Ganguli

The Houston Texans finished the preseason with a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, their final chance to audition players for their 53-man roster. Texans coach Bill O'Brien and general manager Rick Smith had already begun their discussions about how to set the roster before Thursday night. The game likely helped focus their decisions. O'Brien said it is possible for one preseason game to change his opinion about a story.

With roster cuts happening today and tomorrow, here is a projection of what the Texans' 53-man roster will look like Saturday night.

Quarterbacks (3)

Brian Hoyer

Ryan Mallett

Tom Savage

If Savage's shoulder injury turns out to be serious enough to land him on injured reserve, then the Texans will keep only two quarterbacks, as many teams do. It will save a roster spot the Texans can use elsewhere. Savage isn't likely to get much playing time barring an injury this year. He'll sit behind Hoyer, the starter, and Mallett, his backup.

Running backs/fullbacks (5)

Arian Foster

Alfred Blue

Jonathan Grimes

Chris Polk

Jay Prosch

Polk and seventh-round pick Kenny Hilliard took all the carries for the Texans in their fourth preseason game. Hilliard had 42 yards on 18 carries. Polk had 24 yards on 10 carries. They each caught four passes; Polk for 37 yards and Hilliard for 16. Blue and Grimes got the night off and Foster is, of course, rehabbing from groin surgery. Foster's brother posted a photo during the game of Foster rehabbing. I can see Hilliard winding up on the practice squad after his release.

Wide receivers (6)

DeAndre Hopkins

Nate Washington

Cecil Shorts

Jaelen Strong

Keith Mumphery

The structure of the Texans' offseason moves left little room for another receiver to force his way on the roster. The two free-agent pickups, Shorts and Washington, had strong offseasons. The draft picks, Strong and Mumphery, are safe. Mumphery has drawn praise from his elders in the receiver group and he took on punt-return duties for the Texans in Game 4 of the preseason. It didn't always go well -- he fair-caught one at the 5-yard line and slipped before catching another -- but on one return Mumphery showed some good speed and vision. If Savage has to go on injured reserve, the Texans could keep six here.

Tight ends (3)

Garrett Graham

C.J. Fiedorowicz

Ryan Griffin

The Texans placed tight end Anthony Denham on injured reserve after he cleared waivers. They traded away undrafted rookie Khari Lee for a draft pick. That made the decisions at tight ends pretty simple. The same three who started on the roster last year will start there this year.

Offensive linemen (9)

Duane Brown

Brandon Brooks

Ben Jones

Xavier Su'a-Filo

Derek Newton

Chad Slade

Jeff Adams

Chris Clark

Greg Mancz

Adams has shown his value and versatility by starting at left guard and playing tackle in reserve roles this preseason. The Texans traded for Clark to give them more depth at tackle. I've included Slade on this list, but it's hard to tell which undrafted rookie will get a chance here or if more than one will. I do believe Slade, Mancz or Kendall Lamm will get a shot on the roster this year. The Texans kept eight on their line at times last year and could keep eight or nine.

Defensive tackles (3)

Vince Wilfork

Louis Nix III

Christian Covington

Covington is undersized for what the Texans normally like at nose tackle, but he's impressed the coaches. The other two here are decidedly not. Wilfork sat out the preseason but has shown his agility and power in practices. Nix has also been much improved, per defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel.

Defensive ends (3)

J.J. Watt

Jared Crick

Jeoffrey Pagan

After my first roster projection, in which I had only these three defensive ends, some took issue with the numbers here. Look at it this way: This represents the Texans carrying six defensive linemen total. The Texans move around their players on the front seven frequently. They've had outside linebackers put their hands down -- and they will have Clowney do that from time to time.

Outside linebackers (4)

Jadeveon Clowney

Whitney Mercilus

John Simon

Kourtnei Brown

Brown was a long shot heading into training camp, but he's worked hard and just happened to be in the position to make plays in every preseason game. He had two sacks in the first game, a pick-six in the second game, a fumble recovery in the third and a sack Thursday night against the Cowboys. He's still got a lot to learn, and we've seen linebackers coach Mike Vrabel yell at him a lot on "Hard Knocks," but Brown has earned a chance.

Inside linebackers (5)

Brian Cushing

Benardrick McKinney

Mike Mohamed

Akeem Dent

Justin Tuggle

This was a fascinating competition and I'm still not sure this is right. I've left off inside linebacker Max Bullough, but I think it's possible he makes it instead of Tuggle. It's also possible the Texans keep only four inside linebackers, which would be Cushing, McKinney, Mohamed and Dent. I picked Tuggle here because he made a really strong showing in Thursday night's game, leading the team with eight tackles, six of them solo.

Cornerbacks (6)

Johnathan Joseph

Kareem Jackson

A.J. Bouye

Kevin Johnson

Jumal Rolle

Charles James

The Texans made sure to get a good look at this position in the game. Johnson, James, Rolle and Darryl Morris took care of Thursday's game, with Morris, James and Johnson starting. Joseph, Jackson and Bouye -- did not play. I went with James because he has stood out on special teams and did well on defense. This isn't just pandering, though James making the team would delight many who have seen his journey on "Hard Knocks."

Safeties (4)

Rahim Moore

Andre Hal

Eddie Pleasant

Quintin Demps

Demps came to the team during training camp and immediately began making an impact. He caught an interception in his first practice back with the Texans. Pleasant might have won the starting job here. He started in New Orleans and then sat out against the Cowboys last night.

Specialists (3)

P Shane Lechler

K Randy Bullock

LS Jonathan Weeks

This group really needs no explanation. There are no debates here.​
 
#94 DL Tevita Finau
#48 LB Kourtnei Brown
#73 OL Matt Feiler
#43 DB Corey Moore
#92 DL Louis Nix III

#38 RB Kenny Hilliard
#61 DL Brandon Deaderick
#13 WR Damaris Johnson
#78 OL James Ferentz
#53 LB Max Bullough
 
Playoffs said:
#94 DL Tevita Finau
#48 LB Kourtnei Brown
#73 OL Matt Feiler
#43 DB Corey Moore
#92 DL Louis Nix III

#38 RB Kenny Hilliard
#61 DL Brandon Deaderick
#13 WR Damaris Johnson
#78 OL James Ferentz
#53 LB Max Bullough
Click to expand...
Thanks. I didn't have the Deaderick and Johnson cuts. Two to go and they have to be at WR.
 
I guess I'm confused. The Sept 1st cuts were down to 75. These final cuts are to 53. That's a total of 22 cuts. ?????
 
Aaron Wilson @AaronWilson_NFL
Texans offensive lineman Chad Slade having back surgery today, according to sources.​


Aaron Wilson@AaronWilson_NFL
Texans cut wide receiver EZ Nwachukwu, according to sources​



#17 WR Uzoma Nwachukwu

#48 LB Kourtnei Brown
#73 OL Matt Feiler
#43 DB Corey Moore
#92 DL Louis Nix III

#38 RB Kenny Hilliard
#61 DL Brandon Deaderick
#13 WR Damaris Johnson
#78 OL James Ferentz
#53 LB Max Bullough

#62 OL Chad Slade (back surgery)???
#39 DB Lonnie Ballentine (cut day knee 'injury')???
 
Last edited:
Number19 said:
I guess I'm confused. The Sept 1st cuts were down to 75. These final cuts are to 53. That's a total of 22 cuts. ?????
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Maybe they keep 10 other than the 53 for practice squad. I have learned and still learning more here about that when reading these posts over the years and guess what I still get confused. Lots of knowledgeable posters here
 
Cuts have to be made by Sat. Sunday you can put players on the practice squad. But you have to cut them first and hope they don't get picked up by another team.
 
Didn't have Slade on my 53 - I went with Feiler. But if Slade is out, this opens up a second spot on my 53. Nix was the other.
 
Number19 said:
I guess I'm confused. The Sept 1st cuts were down to 75. These final cuts are to 53. That's a total of 22 cuts. ?????
Click to expand...
Let me have it. I just got it completely wrong and have NO EXCUSE! It's embarrassing for someone who considers himself mathematically astute.
 
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