With potentially nine players joining the Houston Texans come draft week, general manager Nick Caserio is trimming fat early.
The Texans released wide receiver Alex Bachman, defensive end Myjai Sanders and defensive back Josh Thompson on Tuesday, per the team’s media staff. Sanders was on the active roster while Bachman was on the practice squad as part of the AFC South champions.
A former third-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals out of Cincinnati, Sanders was picked up off waivers before the start of the regular season. He appeared in seven games last season, recording seven tackles, one for a loss and two quarterback hits.
A member of the 2021 College Football Playoff roster from the American Athletic Conference, Sanders has recorded 30 tackles and three sacks in 20 games since being drafted.
Thompson, a former starter for the Texas Longhorns player, signed a reserve-future deal in January. He previously was a member of the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bachman signed a reserve future deal after being re-signed to the practice squad last season after previously being released from injured reserve on an injury settlement.
The Texans targeted both defensive end and receiver in free agency after securing the division title for the first time in four years. Houston inked a two-year, $51 million deal with four-time Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter following an eight-year stay with the Minnesota Vikings.
Houston also traded a 2025 second-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for Pro Bowl target Stefon Diggs and a 2024 sixth-round pick. While Diggs, 30, previously signed a four-year, $104 million extension with the Bills back in April 2022, Houston chose to void the final three years of his deal, giving him the ability to become a free agent after this season.
The Texans added $3.5 million in guaranteed money to Diggs’ contract next season, raising his annual salary to $22.52 million.