2013 Houston Texans Training Camp: Texans Release Sunny Harris, Place Sam Montgomery On "Non-Football Injury List"

Late this afternoon, word broke that your Houston Texans released Ra'Shon "Sunny" Harris. Harris flashed last preseason before suffering a season-ending triceps injury. With Earl Mitchell the only nose tackle on the roster with any real experience, it's a bit surprising to see the team jettison Harris before camp even began. Harris was a long shot to make the 53 man roster, but the Texans need bodies, even if only camp bodies, at defensive tackle. Perhaps this move is a precursor to the Texans bringing another veteran defensive tackle in to compete for a roster spot.

Of greater import to the Texans and their fans is the news that Sam Montgomery, one of the team's third-round picks in the 2013 NFL Draft and a player the team hoped would be in the mix for snaps as part of the rotation at outside linebacker, was placed on the "non-football injury list." What did Montgomery do to get the NFI treatment? Tania Ganguli tweets:

#Texans didn't comment on Montgomery, but word is he reported out of shape. They hope to have him Friday.

— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) July 22, 2013

You'd like to think a professional athlete entering the first training camp of his career would show up in shape and ready to go. If what Ganguli heard is accurate, Sonic Sam made a mistake that only reinforces the skepticism many fans had when the Texans drafted him.

In the grand scheme of things, however, this is likely little more than a small bump in the road, particularly if Montgomery is ready to go on Friday. And especially if Montgomery goes on to play like our TDC and Brett Kollmann have opined he should.