The Texans have signed former Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Still, a 6’5", 310 pound behemoth who was taken in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, never seemed to get it together in Cincy before his release a season ago. Constantly dealing with nagging injuries and buried on the depth chart behind Geno Atkins, Still faced easily his toughest challenge of all when his young daughter, Leah, was diagnosed with pediatric cancer in June of 2014. The team released Still so that he could be with his daughter, but still kept him on the practice squad so that Leah’s treatment could be covered under the NFL’s health insurance program. Since then, Leah is as healthy as ever and her cancer is in full remission, thankfully.
Still sat out the entire 2015 season without a job, but the Texans apparently liked what they saw from his workout last Tuesday enough to sign him today to a future contract for the 2016 season. It is anyone’s guess whether this is a move to have some sort of backup plan in case Jared Crick takes a contract elsewhere next year, but I certainly would not rule out Bill O’Brien already trying to shore up his defensive depth for another playoff run next fall. Five-technique defensive ends don’t just grow on trees, after all.
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