Former Texans quarterback joining Texans on one-year deal

The rebuilding Houston Texans have plenty of needs as free agency opens with holes throughout the roster.

Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton is not being retained by new Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, according to league sources.

Falling into a 2-6 hole near the midpoint of a season is usually a recipe to look to the future for NFL teams, with only two teams ever climbing out of that hole to reach the postseason.

Derrick Henry busted through an arm tackle attempt from defensive tackle Thomas Booker, loped past safety Jalen Pitre when he whiffed as he dove at his cleats and accelerated away from defensive backs Tavierre Thomas and Desmond King on his pathway to the end zone.

Davis Mills took off on a scramble, hoping to replicate his success running the football from earlier in the game when he took off for a rare touchdown run.

Hello, this is KPRC 2 Sports Director Randy McIlvoy checking in with this week’s Houston Texans newsletter.

The Texans are signing veteran quarterback Jeff Driskel to their active roster from their practice squad, according to league sources.

Jeff Driskel delivered a quick play-action fake, rolled out to his right and lobbed a perfect spiral to leaping wide receiver Amari Rodgers for a touchdown pass.

Emotions ran the gamut for the Texans late Sunday afternoon inside a somber locker room as competing feelings of frustration, anger and a large amount of pride ruled the day.

Ezekiel Elliott scored the go-ahead touchdown with 41 seconds remaining, and the Dallas Cowboys avoided a major upset with a 27-23 victory over the hapless Houston Texans.

Elevated from the practice squad, Texans backup quarterback Jeff Driskel got involved in the offense in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys.

Texans rookie fullback Troy Hairston is out for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys due to a rib injury.

The Houston Texans are elevating quarterback Jeff Driskel from the practice squad to the active roster, according to league sources.

Kyle Allen is slated to back up Texans starting quarterback Davis Mills on Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

For the second week in a row, quarterback Jeff Driskel ran away from the defense for a first down.

The Houston Texans have listed Kyle Allen as inactive, and Jeff Driskel will back up Texans starting quarterback Davis Mills on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts in the season opener at NRG Stadium.

Tuesday, Aug. 30 is the final big cut day across the NFL before the regular season. Teams, including the Houston Texans, must slash their rosters down to 53 players before the 3 p.m. CT deadline. Pro Football Network writer and KPRC 2 Sports contributor Aaron Wilson is tracking the cuts for us here on Click2Houston.com.

Davis Mills threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins with one second left in the first half, salvaging something good from an up-and-down performance in the Houston Texans’ 24-20 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

The Houston Texans have officially named Davis Mills as their starting quarterback for their next game taking place Thursday against the Carolina Panthers.

One day after saying “we’ll have to see” in response to a question regarding Deshaun Watson’s status heading into the Houston Texans’ next game, head coach David Culley started his Monday press availability by being definitive: Watson will be deactivated this week and will not play in Thursday’s game against Carolina.

Deshaun Watson was on the field for the start of training camp with the Houston Texans on Wednesday.

Deshaun Watson plans to report to training camp with the Houston Texans.

Coach David Culley refused to say if quarterback Deshaun Watson was with the Houston Texans this week as they began on-field practices.

The league is pressing forward with its goal of playing the Super Bowl as scheduled in Tampa on Feb. 7. What often seemed improbable during the COVID-10 pandemic has become quite achievable. "Contact tracing is the thing people are not talking the most about, but it is foundational to our success," said Sills. The league presses forward with its goal of playing all 256 scheduled games in 17 weeks and the Super Bowl in Tampa on Feb. 7. The trio works with the league’s three-member team consisting of a contact tracer, an epidemiologist and a physician.

“When we all follow the protocols, they work and they work well,” Tretter said. “The contact tracing, getting everyone who potentially are exposed out of the building, works to stop the spread of the virus. Union spokesman George Atallah said that 90% of players that test positive do so within five days of exposure. That is why the league and union have decided to isolate “high-risk” close contacts for a five-day period to make sure they continue to test negative. “We have to make decisions on the information and data we have at the time.”___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Many viewers cringed at Denver’s ugly loss to the Saints behind a rookie receiver pressed into duty because every Broncos quarterback was barred by the NFL over coronavirus concerns. A three-year starter at Vanderbilt, Shurmur spent last season on the Chiefs’ practice squad. After Driskel’s positive test, a league investigation deemed Lock, Rypien and Bortles as high-risk close contacts and ordered them into quarantine Saturday. Hinton returned to catching passes, not throwing them, when he went back to the practice squad Wednesday. Miller has made it his goal to play this season after a freak ankle injury six days before the opener.

Denver Broncos quarterback Kendall Hinton (2) is hit after the throw by New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Denver. The NFL denied Denver's request to push the Saints game back 48 hours, which would have allowed their QBs to return to action. So they turned to Hinton, a former quarterback in college, and sprinkled in some direct snaps to running backs Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay. Lock, Rypien and Bortles were removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing negative Tuesday for a fifth consecutive day. Lock and Rypien return to the Broncos’ active roster, and Bortles returns to the practice squad.

The undefeated Titans are healing up from the NFL’s first COVID-19 outbreak. DeCastro will miss his third game of the season after sustaining an abdominal injury last week against Philadelphia. Johnson, Pittsburgh’s second-leading receiver, is out because of a back injury suffered on a punt return last week. Cincinnati also will be missing starting defensive tackle D.J. Eagles: RT Lane Johnson, WR DeSean Jackson, WR Alshon Jeffery, CB Avonte Maddox, S Marcus Epps, LB Duke Riley, QB Nate Sudfeld.

Jeudy is active for the Bucs game as Denver quarterback Jeff Driskel makes his first start while Drew Lock recovers from a shoulder injury. Cardinals: QB Brett Hundley, WR Christian Kirk, RB Eno Benjamin, OL Mason Cole, OL Josh Miles, DL Leki Fotu. ___CHICAGO AT ATLANTABears: CB Duke Shelley, OG Arlington Hambright, NT Daniel McCullers, WR RIley Ridley, OLB Trevis GipsonFalcons: WR Julio Jones, CB A.J. Browns: WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, CB Greedy Williams, LB Jacob Phillips, Olivier Vernon, Evan Brown and WR Rashard Higgins. Brown, CB Chris Jackson OLB Derick Roberson, C Aaron Brewer, TE Geoff Swaim, DT Matt DickersonVikings: WR Tajaé Sharpe, WR K.J.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool (11) crosses the goal line for a touchdown on an 84-yard play during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)PITTSBURGH – A game seemingly in hand suddenly on the cusp of slipping away, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn't overthink things. Needing a stop to turn back the surprisingly resilient Denver Broncos, the Steelers dialed up one final blitz in an afternoon filled with them. So the Broncos (0-2) hung around despite losing starting quarterback Drew Lock (right shoulder) in the first quarter. The Steelers recovered and went downfield for a touchdown while Lock was in the blue medical tent getting evaluated. Still, he wasn't exactly thrilled on a day the Steelers never trailed but struggled to put the Broncos away.

(AP Photo/John Froschauer)The Latest on Week 2 in the NFL (all times EDT):___8:55 p.m.Seattle safety Quandre Diggs was ejected late in the first quarter Sunday night for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New England’s N’Keal Harry. Multiple flags were thrown and after a few minutes of deliberation, referee Craig Wrolstad announced Diggs had been ejected. Watkins made an 11-yard catch to convert a third down when Desmond King started to bring him down and Denzel Perryman landed a helmet-to-helmet hit. San Francisco lost both defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas to left knee injuries earlier in the game. Brady struggled in an 11-point loss to New Orleans in his first NFL game not in a New England Patriots uniform.