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Texans To Try Out Seven; You May Have Heard Of Two

Nick Scurfield mentions via HoustonTexans.com that the Texans are bringing in seven players to mini-camp for a tryout:

Three of the seven players are undrafted rookie free agents: cornerback Kasey Brown from Northwestern State, long snapper Preston Powers of Ole Miss and wide receiver Derrick Townsel of Murray State.

The other four are fullback Justin Griffith, a 2003 fourth-round pick who has been with three different teams at the same time as Texans offensive coordinator Greg Knapp (Atlanta Falcons, 2004-06; Oakland Raiders, 2007-08; Seattle Seahawks, 2009); defensive end William VanDeSteeg, a 2009 undrafted free agent out of Minnesota; cornerback Frank Walker, a 2003 sixth-round pick of the New York Giants who spent the past two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens; and wide receiver Bobby Williams, a 2009 undrafted free agent out of North Alabama.

Of these two, the only real NFL players are Walker and Griffith. Walker, who was a cornerback for the Ravens last year, got inconsistent work in the regular season, but wound up as the nickelback in the playoffs after injuries hit the Ravens secondary. He performed admirably, but at age 30, he's no lock to make any roster or even push any of the current Texans corners.

Griffith, a blocking fullback, spent last year in Seattle and did a decent job of run blocking in a situation where his offensive line was falling apart right in front of his eyes. Like Walker, he's rather old for an NFL player at 29, but this signing, along with the inking of undrafted free agent Jack Corcoran earlier in the offseason, do show that Vonta Leach should be watching his back after last year's uninspired performance.

As for the other guys...well, William VanDeSteeg is a really awesome name, so I'm sure even if he fails to make the team, he can feel confident in himself going forward.

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