The Houston Texans have just made another move that alters the outlook of their running back room for the 2022 NFL season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Texans have cut running back Royce Freeman as they anticipate the arrival of a former Tom Brady weapon with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the form of wide receiver Tyler Johnson.
Texans released RB Royce Freeman to make room for their waiver claim of former Bucs’ WR Tyler Johnson.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2022
Tyler Johnson was among the casualties of the recent wave of roster cuts in the league, but as expected, he has attracted considerable attention on the waiver wire. Johnson spent his first two seasons in the NFL with the Buccaneers, who took him in the fifth round (161st overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft. After two unspectacular seasons in Buccaneers threads, Tampa Bay decided that it was time to move on from the former Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver. With Johnson seemingly on his way to the Texans, he could expect to get attention downfield.
Unlike the Tom Brady-led pass attack of the Buccaneers, the Texans aren't brimming with talent in their receiving corps. They have veteran Brandin Cooks to lead the wide receivers along with Nico Collins, who has potential but still has to show whether he has what it takes to be an elite target, and Chris Moore.
So far in his NFL career, Tyler Johnson has 529 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 48 receptions and 72 targets across 31 games (six starts).
With Freeman gone in Houston's backfield, the Texans further showed their dedication to making rookie running back Dameon Pierce as their true no. 1 option on the ground.
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