The Houston Texans released cornerback Anthony Averett on Monday, the NFL team announced.
The former Alabama defensive back joined the Texans originally on Jan. 6 as a member of the practice squad for Houston’s two-week stay in the NFL playoffs.
Three days after the Texans’ season ended in a 23-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the AFC postseason, Houston signed Averett to a reserve/future contract for 2025.
But since NFL free agency began last week, the Texans have signed cornerbacks Tremon Smith, a former Saks High School standout, and Ronald Darby and acquired C.J. Gardner-Johnson and M.J. Stewart in trades. Gardner-Johnson and Stewart are safeties who also play slot corner.
Averett was in training camp and played in the preseason with the Pittsburgh Steelers in August and spent the first eight weeks of the 2024 season on the team’s practice squad before being released with an injury settlement on Oct. 28.
Averett hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since Nov. 20, 2022, when his injury-affected, lone season with the Las Vegas Raiders ended early. He spent time with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions in 2023.
A senior starter for Alabama’s CFP national-championship team for the 2017 season, Averett entered the NFL as a fourth-round selection of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 draft.
Averett spent his first three seasons largely as a reserve with the Ravens before moving into a starting role when Marcus Peters got hurt in the second game of the 2021 season. Averett’s performance across 14 starts in Baltimore’s defensive backfield included his three NFL interceptions and earned him a one-year, $4 million contract from the Raiders in free agency.
Averett sustained a broken thumb and broken toe with Las Vegas in 2022.
Averett has played in 51 NFL regular-season games and three playoff contests. He has started 27 regular-season games and one playoff contest.
Averett has recorded three interceptions, 114 tackles and 23 passes defended while on the field for 1,732 defensive snaps and 365 special-teams plays during his NFL career.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.