Texans work out defensive line, receivers, defensive back over Thanksgiving weekend

The Houston Texans worked out two defensive linemen, two receivers, and a defensive back over the Thanksgiving holiday.

When NFL teams say that talent evaluation is a 365-day-a-year job, they aren’t exaggerating.

The Houston Texans spent a portion of the Thanksgiving holiday looking at four free agents. On Friday, the club brought in defensive tackle Lee Autry, defensive end T.J. Carter, receiver Kalija Lipscomb, and receiver J’Mon Moore for workouts. The club also brought in defensive back Manny Patterson for a visit.

Autry is an undrafted free agent who spent time with the Chicago Bears in training camp. In his last 18 games with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Autry produced 23 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack, and a pass breakup.

Carter, another undrafted free agent, played in 39 games for the Kentucky Wildcats, recording 60 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, and four pass deflections.

Lipscomb was also undrafted, but spent time recently with the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp and the Green Bay Packers on their practice squad. For the Vanderbilt Commodores, Lipscomb caught 198 passes for 2,356 yards and 22 touchdowns in 46 games.

Moore is a nearby Fort Bend Elkins product who played collegiately for the Missouri Tigers. Going undrafted in 2018, Moore caught on with the Packers, where he spent that season. In 2019-20, Moore was with the Cleveland Browns on their practice squad and offseason roster. At the end of training camp this season, the Browns released Moore.

Patterson is an undrafted free agent from Maine, where he collected 93 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 47 pass breakups, and an interception in 39 games.

Bears waive six players ahead of Saturday’s roster deadline

Chicago released six players on Thursday morning to trim the roster to 74 ahead of the Sept. 5 53-man roster deadline.

With less than two weeks until the Chicago Bears open the regular season against the Detroit Lions, there are some roster cuts that need to be made. The Bears need to trim the roster from 80 to 53 players by Sept. 5, and they’ve already started making roster moves.

Chicago released six players on Thursday morning to trim the roster to 74. They waived running back Napoleon Maxwell, receivers Alex Wesley and Ahmad Wagner, offensive lineman Corey Levin, defensive lineman Lee Autry and linebacker Keandre Jones.

There’s a good chance some of these players could wind up on Chicago’s practice squad, which will have 16 available spots should they clear waivers. The Bears still need to cut 21 players by Saturday’s deadline.

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3 candidates to replace Bears NT Eddie Goldman in 2020

Let’s take a look at three players that could replace Eddie Goldman at nose tackle this season, both on the roster and in free agency.

The Chicago Bears suffered their first big blow of the year with nose tackle Eddie Goldman choosing to opt out of the 2020 season due to health and safety concerns surrounding COVID-19.

The loss of Goldman is a huge one for the Bears defense, as he known for doing a lot of the dirty work in the trenches that often goes unnoticed. Goldman was an integral part of Chicago’s success in stopping opposing running backs. Now, the Bears have big shoes to fill heading into the 2020 season.

Let’s take a look at three players — currently on the roster or current free agents — that could replace Goldman in 2020.

1. Damon Harrison

AP Photo/David Banks

If the Bears decide to explore free agency for Goldman’s replacement, there’s no better nose tackle on the market than Damon Harrison. Harrison has played in several defensive schemes, but he continues to prove why he’s one of the best run-stuffing nose tackles in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Harrison has led all defensive tackles in run-stop percentage in each of the last four seasons.

Chicago currently has around $16 million in salary cap space — factoring in Goldman’s salary cap credit — according to OverTheCap. The Bears could surely bring Harrison in one a reasonable one-year deal in Goldman’s absence, should they choose to look elsewhere for Goldman’s replacement.

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