A day after he was cut by the Jets, offensive lineman Oday Aboushi has been claimed off waivers by the Texans, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Texans had an open roster spot after placing tight end Ryan Griffin on IR-DTR, so Aboushi slides into that opening.
Aboushi, 24, was suspended for the first game of the 2015 season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, and when it came time to reinstate him this week, the Jets opted to simply waive him instead. A year ago, Aboushi started 10 games at left guard for New York and held his own. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked the former fifth-round pick as the 43rd-best guard out of 78 qualified players, giving him an above-average grade as a run blocker.
In Houston, Aboushi reunites with Mike Devlin, who served as the Jets’ offensive line coach in 2013 and 2014. Devlin now holds the same position for the Texans, who could be without starting left tackle Duane Brown this coming Sunday.
As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported earlier today (via Twitter), the Texans are also promoting WR/KR Chandler Worthy from the practice squad. In order to accommodate Worthy, Houston has traded WR/KR Keshawn Martin to the Patriots, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Martin, 25, acted as Houston’s primary kick and punt returner and caught 32 balls in his first two years with the Texans, but had just six receptions in 2014 and didn’t play in the team’s opener this year. It’s not clear yet what sort of compensation Houston got from New England for Martin, but I can’t imagine it was more than a late-round draft pick, perhaps a conditional one.
