Houston Texans claim Royce Freeman off waivers, put Scottie Phillips on injured reserve

Carolina Panthers Royce Freeman during an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Seth Wenig, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

HOUSTON – The Houston Texans announced Tuesday that they have claimed running back Royce Freeman off waivers from the Carolina Panthers.

Freeman appeared in eight games this season with the Panthers after three years with the Denver Broncos. This season, Freeman had 21 carries for 77 yards, while catching three passes for 15 more yards. His career-best season to date is his rookie year in 2018, when he rushed for 521 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games, including eight starts. Freeman was originally drafted by the Broncos in the third round, 71st overall, of the 2018 NFL Draft after a standout career at Oregon.

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This will be a reunion of sorts in the Texans backfield. Freeman and fellow running back Phillip Lindsay both entered the league together with the Broncos in 2018 and now both will share the same backfield with the Texans.

In a corresponding roster move, the Texans placed running back Scottie Phillips on injured reserve. So far this season, Phillips has 13 rushing yards on six carries this season. He suffered a leg injury in the Texans’ 17-9 loss Sunday to the Miami Dolphins.


About the Author:

Born in Canada but raised in Houston, Howard joined KPRC 2 in 2021 after five years at ESPN. Before that, Howard was a reporter on Houston Rockets and Houston Astros game broadcasts. Among the events that Howard has covered on site: the NBA bubble and the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions for both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. He's H-town proud!