HOUSTON -- On Monday the Houston Texans made four procedural moves that drew a lot of attention.
They placed outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and inside linebacker Akeem Dent on the physically unable to perform list. They also placed offensive lineman David Quessenberry on the non-football illness list and receiver Alan Bonner on the non-football injury list.
All four players will count against the Texans' 90-man roster and can be taken off these lists at any time during training camp. The moves allow the Texans the option to keep them on the lists at the start of the season and save a roster spot then.
In Clowney's case, the news comes as no surprise. He wasn't expected to be ready for the start of training camp as he continues to rehab from his December microfracture surgery. The move does leave open the possibility that they'd need to keep him on PUP to start the regular season, but again, that possibility is not unexpected. Microfracture surgery requires patience, and a knee is not a joint to rush.
Quessenberry is in the aftermath of cancer treatment from non-Hodgkins T Lymphoblastic lymphoma. He's in remission and has been able to work out with his teammates for several months, but still needs clearance from a combination of his oncologist and the Texans' medical staff in order to return to playing.
Dent, who re-signed with the Texans this offseason, wore a boot on his right foot/ankle throughout the Texans' offseason programs. He originally came to Houston in the trade that sent quarterback T.J. Yates to Atlanta.
Bonner's case is a bit curious. The non-football injury list is one that often indicates a player has come into training camp out of shape -- it was where Sam Montgomery began training camp during his rookie season of 2013 after failing his conditioning test. Bonner was drafted in 2013, but has yet to contribute to the Texans, having spent both of his first two seasons on injured reserve. He's one of the few pre-O'Brien receivers who have stuck around, but it's likely the former sixth-round pick is coming to the end of his chances with the Texans.