The Texans have signed seven players to their practice squad and waived guard Shelley Smith, leaving one spot open on their practice squad and active roster.
Rookie quarterback Case Keenum (University of Houston) is on the practice squad, as are running back Jonathan Grimes (William & Mary) and safety Eddie Pleasant (Oregon). The practice squad consists of six undrafted rookies and wide receiver Jeff Maehl, a second-year pro from Oregon, all of whom were released by the Texans on Friday and cleared waivers.
Also on the practice squad are defensive end David Hunter (Houston, Waller High School), tight end Phillip Supernaw (Ouachita Baptist, Katy Taylor High School) and outside linebacker Delano Johnson (Bowie State).
Eight players who were on the Texans' practice squad in 2011 were signed to the active roster at some point during the season: Mister Alexander, Andrew Gardner, Trindon Holliday, Shiloh Keo, Maehl, Jesse Nading, Chris Ogbonnaya and Cody Wallace.
The release of Smith leaves the Texans with 52 players and eight offensive linemen on their active roster. They kept nine offensive linemen last season. They could be looking for a tackle to provide depth along with Gardner in the wake of swing tackle Rashad Butler's season-ending injury on Thursday.
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