29 August 2023 , 16:24
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The Houston Texans appear to have made several surprise moves on their roster ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
All 32 teams across the NFL have until 9pm UK time (4pm ET) to finalise their 53-man rosters for the new season. Part of that process will involve releasing some players in order to whittle the roster down to the required amount. There have already been some high-profile roster moves in the NFL over the past week, including from the Dallas Cowboys who released quarterback Will Grier following a trade for Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers.
Now the Texans can be added to that list after their recent roster move. has reported that cornerback Desmond King and linebacker Christian Kirksey have both been released. Both moves have come as a surprise given how much of a role each player has played in recent seasons and over the course of the off-season.
King has been with the Texans since signing in March 2021 and started 25 games over the past two seasons. More surprisingly, King had played in all three of the Texans’ pre-season games over the last month - but it seems Houston could find no place for the 28-year-old on their 53-man roster.
Kirksey was named a team captain for the Texans in 2022 and has been a key part of the team’s defence. The 30-year-old was the Texans’ nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, which was won by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans admitted the day before the news emerged of Kirksey and Kingn being released that it would be tough to tell players they were being cut.
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Ryans himself has experience being a player in the NFL with the former linebacker spending six years in Houston from 2006-11. "With the cuts that are coming up, it's a tough day," Ryans said in a press conference on Monday. "Sensitive. It's a delicate situation for a lot of guys."
"You want to tell guys just to keep working," Ryans added. "Continue your dreams. Hopefully they have an opportunity to make another 53-man roster. Or make a practice squad. There is opportunity around the entire NFL to be able to make it. That's my message to those guys."
Ryans went on to reveal that he and the Texans would still be looking to add to the roster after Tuesday’s deadline. While not saying what areas of the roster he is specifically looking at, Ryans admitted that adding competition for places is one of his goals.
"We're always looking to improve our roster," Ryans said. "If that's someone at another club, if it's someone that can improve our roster, we're always looking to do that. I think that's an ongoing process throughout the entire season. You're always looking to better the back end of your roster. That just drives the competition to make guys in front of them better."