Scottie

Phillips

Phillips was waived off injured reserve. He suffered a leg injury in November. A 2020 UDFA, Phillips has handled 11 touches across 11 career games. Already headed into his age-25 campaign, Phillips won’t be of particular interest on the workout circuit.

Phillips had taken on some of the backfield work following the Mark Ingram trade, but he suffered a leg injury against Miami and will miss at least three weeks. Houston claimed Royce Freeman off waivers in a corresponding move. This remains a backfield to avoid.

Howell didn’t see any touches after Duke Johnson (ankle) left in the third quarter. The Texans went with Howell over UDFA Scottie Phillips on their initial 53-man roster, but special teams likely played a role. Phillips is the higher upside hedge for Johnson.

The undrafted Phillips was one of the bigger names waived at final cuts. The Texans seen enough from him at practice this week to add him to the active roster. Phillips was limited to special teams in Thursday’s opener, but there could be a path to snaps with Duke Johnson (leg) sidelined.

Phillips posted career-long 278-1,470-17 rushing and 18-182-3 receiving lines while playing for Ole Miss from 2018-2019. Previously he spent 2016-2017 at Jones County Junior College in Mississippi. His senior year could’ve been much more prolific if he wasn’t hampered by ankle and knee injuries. While Phillips demonstrated some ability to make plays in the screen game, he’s still far from polished as a receiving back. The bowling ball demonstrated solid-enough speed (4.56-second 40-yard dash) and might have enough versatility to battle for a practice squad spot.