The Texans signed seven players to their practice squad on Monday. The cap for the practice squad is eight, meaning the Texans have room for one more.
Of the seven players signed today, only running back Chris Ogbonnaya is new to the Texans. A Houston native, he was drafted in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams in 2009. The Rams released him on Sept. 4 in the final round of roster cuts.
Ogbonnaya (6-0, 225) was a three-year letterman at Strake Jesuit College Prep in Houston, leading the school to a 27-5 record during that span. He was Strake's leading rusher, receiver and defensive back as a senior and also lettered in basketball and track.
At Texas, Ogbonnaya was a tailback, fullback and special teams ace. Had 140 carries for 597 yards (4.3 ypc) and eight touchdowns and 75 receptions for 792 yards and three touchdowns in his career. Off the field, he was a four-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree and a seven-time member of UT's Athletics Director's Honor Roll.
Four of the Texans' other practice squad members are undrafted rookies who had been with the team all offseason: defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard (Arkansas), safety Torri Williams (Purdue), linebacker Isaiah Greenhouse (Northwestern State) and offensive tackle Cole Pemberton (Colorado State).
Center Brett Helms returns for his second season on the Texans' practice squad. He originally joined the team as an undrafted rookie from LSU in 2009. Wide receiver Bobby Williams, the final member of the practice squad for now, is a first-year player out of North Alabama. He caught a 32-yard touchdown pass in the Texans' preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
