The Houston Texans released former Wisconsin wide receiver Quintez Cephus on Tuesday. The roster move comes as the Texans trimmed their roster to the required 53 players to enter the 2024 season.
Cephus signed with the Texans in July after being released by the Buffalo Bills earlier in the offseason. He spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Detroit Lions (2020-2023) after being a fifth-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft.
Related: Every former Wisconsin Badger to make an NFL 53-man roster entering 2024 regular season
The former Badger excelled in limited action during the Texans’ 2024 preseason, catching a total of six passes for 40 yards in three games of action.
That strong performance was not enough to earn him a spot on the team’s 53-man roster entering the season. Instead, the Texans opted for a wide receiver room of Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods, John Metchie III and Steven Sims.
#Texans releasing wide receiver Quintez Cephus, per a league source @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 27, 2024
Cephus played for three years at Wisconsin (2016, 2017, 2019). His best season came in 2019 when he and quarterback Jack Coan connected for 59 receptions, 901 yards and seven touchdowns.
The former Badgers’ NFL career has been a roller coaster up to this point. He performed well in his first two seasons with the Lions (2020, 2021), totaling 35 catches for 553 yards and four touchdowns. An injury then derailed his 2022 season before his career came to a halt when he was among several Lions suspended for all of 2023 for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
Cephus is still searching for his next opportunity after missing most of the last two seasons. He signed with the Buffalo Bills in April, though was soon released. The Texans were the next to give the talented former Badger an opportunity.
The wide receiver will likely start the 2024 season on the Texans’ practice squad. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he’s back on the active roster at some point this year.
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