The second-best pass-catcher in franchise history is finished with the Texans.
Tight end Owen Daniels was released on Tuesday afternoon by Houston. The team also cut cornerback Brice McCain.
His 385 receptions and 4,617 receiving yards are second only to wide receiver Andre Johnson, and those marks are best for a tight end in the team's record books.
Daniels spoke on Monday at Andre Johnson's Celebrity Golf Classic, and acknowledged that this time of year can be difficult.
"This is a year for me that's interesting," Daniels said. "Just because you hear this, you hear that, about being here, being a cap casualty, whatever it is. It's that point in your career where those type of things can happen."
On Tuesday, "those type of things" did indeed happen for Daniels, and he's now one of the
most attractive free agent options on the market.
He played in five games last season before a broken leg at San Francisco ended his year. But according to Daniels, he's ready to go and healthy enough to get back to contributing.
"I haven't done any rehab since basically a week or two after the season," Daniels said. "I'm feeling great and fresh and ready to go."
Statistically, his finest season was in 2008, when he caught a career-best 70 catches for 862 yards. He went to his first Pro Bowl as a result, and was on his way to another in 2009 before an ACL tear in Week 9 at Buffalo cooled off a torrid start to the year.
In 2011, Daniels led the team in catches and receiving yards while Johnson missed a few chunks of the season with hamstring injuries.
Garrett Graham is a free agent, which leaves Ryan Griffin, Zach Potter, Phillip Supernaw and Brad Smelley as the only players with tight end experience on the roster.
