Several well-known names will not be on the Houston Texans’ 53-man roster when they open the regular season next Sunday in New England.
The team cut 42-year old punter Shane Lechler on Friday, opting instead for Trevor Daniel, an undrafted rookie from Tennessee. Lechler – who played his college football at Texas A&M has spent five seasons with the Texans and an astounding 19-years in the league. He says he is not yet ready to retire, and hopes to catch on with another team.
The Texans also released wide receiver Braxton Miller, who was a third-round draft pick from Ohio State in 2016. The multi-talented athlete played both quarterback and receiver in college, but never found a proper role in the Texans’ offense. He missed portions of his first two seasons with injuries.
Starting fullback Jay Prosch was also released, despite signing a three-year, 6.45-million dollar deal last season. The offense doesn’t make much use of the fullback position, and Prosch’s contributions were mainly on special teams.
The Texans also cut veteran offensive lineman David Quessenberry. He was a sixth-round draft pick in 2013 from San Diego State. He became a source of inspiration for the team after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2014. He battled back from the cancer to play again last season.
According to NFL rules, teams must reduce their rosters to 53 players by 3:00pm Central today.