HOUSTON — The Houston Texans left themselves thin at wide receiver when they named five wideouts to their 53-man roster. On Tuesday, general manager Nick Caserio added some depth to the position by signing free agent Danny Amendola to a one-year contract worth $2.5 million.
Amendola spent five seasons with Caserio in New England as the 5-11 receiver helped the Patriots win two Super Bowl titles. His signing gave the Texans a solid contingency plan should Anthony Miller miss an extended amount of time due to his shoulder injury — according to coach David Culley.
Since entering the league as an undrafted prospect from Texas Tech in 2008, Amendola has recorded 5,964 reception yards and 21 touchdowns in 155 career games.
“You know Danny has been a quality player in this league for a long time,” Culley said. “I happened to have Danny back in Philadelphia a while back, and I know what he’s all about. He fits the mold.”
Amendola is joining a team where his familiarity with the Texans goes beyond the front office. He is reuniting with several of his former teammates from New England, including wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
While expressing his excitement about playing alongside Amendola again, Cooks describes the 35-year-old Woodland native as a player whose ability to see defenses will create opportunities for the Texans’ offense.
“It’s good to always have veteran leadership in the wide receiver room,” quarterback Tyrod Taylor said after his first practice with Amendola on Wednesday. “Just to see him out on the field running around today making plays, you can definitely still see the explosiveness. Looking forward to being able to continue to keep gelling with him and using him and having him make plays for our offense.”
Amendola played the last two seasons as a member of the Detroit Lions where he appeared in 29 out of 30 possible games for 438 yards on 14 catches.
