Roy Williams’ tryout with the Texans on Thursday garnered more notice, but he wasn’t the only former first rounder showing his wares to the team.
The other guy wound up getting the job. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that Bryant Johnson, who played in all 16 games for the Texans last season, was re-signed by the team after the workout. Johnson was the 17th overall pick of the 2003 Draft by the Cardinals, but never wound up with more than 49 catches in his five seasons with the team. He also played for the 49ers and Lions before landing in Houston, where he caught six passes for 90 yards in 2011.
Those aren’t impressive numbers, but the Texans’ interest in the veteran wideouts suggests that they feel they need a little more gray in their young receiving corps. Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter are set as the top two guys with a cast of inexperienced players behind them. While the Texans have high hopes for Lestar Jean, 2012 third-round pick DeVier Posey and 2012 third-round pick Keshawn Martin, they also obviously also cognizant of the benefits of having someone who already knows the offense.
McClain reports that the Texans also signed linebacker Keyaron Fox as a free agent. Fox, a third-round pick of the Chiefs in 2004, played 13 games with the Redskins last year and had 10 tackles. He had previously been a key part of the special teams in Pittsburgh and that will be his role if he remains with the Texans into the season.