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Texans release Gray and Black

By Brooke Bentley
June 9, 2008 Comments (0) | Avg. Rating
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Smith discusses roster cuts Embedded Video

The Texans released quarterback Quinn Gray and tackle Jordan Black Monday in an effort to trim down their roster to 80 players before training camp.

"It is going to be increasingly more difficult (to make these cuts) as teams try to figure out how many guys at their positions that they are going to take to training camp," general manager Rick Smith said. "We decided on the number we want to take, and it just felt like at this point he (Gray) did not have a good chance of making it. So we wanted to give him the opportunity to make it with another team."

Gray signed a one-year contract with the Texans in March after spending five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The sixth-year pro played in a career-high eight games last season, starting four of them and going 2-2. In 2007, Gray also set career highs in passing yards (986), attempts (144), completions (80), passer rating (85.6) and touchdowns (10).

"At the quarterback position, I made a decision to work with those two young players. You guys know the 80-limit roster is the rule in this league, and I'm sure there is going to be more (cuts) here in the next three weeks."

- Gary Kubiak
The Texans, however, did not think that Gray fit their system and opted to take younger talent into training camp, including seventh-round draft pick Alex Brink and second-year pro Shane Boyd.

"I just thought from a fit standpoint it makes more sense for us to let him go," Smith said about Gray. "I still think he is a quality NFL quarterback and I think he's going to be successful.

"This says that Shane is making progress. It says that Alex Brink is making progress. They are quarterbacks that we really like, that are doing a decent job and we feel comfortable with those guys going into training camp."

Head coach Gary Kubiak, a former quarterback for the Denver Broncos, said he was excited to work with Brink and Boyd when camp begins in late July.

"I watch Alex and I watch Shane and I think they have a chance to play in this league," Kubiak said. "We can't take five quarterbacks to camp.

"At the quarterback position, I made a decision to work with those two young players. You guys know the 80-limit roster is the rule in this league, and I'm sure there is going to be more (cuts) here in the next three weeks. We still have to get down some more - tough decisions, but two good kids."

Black signed with the Texans as a free agent in 2007 after spending the first four years of his career with Kansas City. Last season, he saw action in eight games as a reserve lineman, but was inactive for a seven-game stretch in the second half of the season.

In 2006, Black started 15 games for the Chiefs, one at right tackle and 14 at left tackle. The Notre Dame product struggled to fit into the Texans' offensive scheme, especially when they began installing a zone blocking system this offseason.

Once the team decided to cut Black and Gray, Kubiak wanted both players to have as good a chance as possible to land spots with another team before training camp begins.

"If I've got a veteran player playing in this league and I don't see the opportunity or feel like I can give them a fair opportunity to make this football team, then I want to give them a fair opportunity somewhere else," Kubiak said. "I felt that way with both those players and with where they are at those positions."

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