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Houston Texans: The puzzle behind the signing of RB Greg ‘Buddy’ Howell

By Brian K. Patterson

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 30: Buddy Howell #38 of the Miami Dolphins catches a touchdown pass against Ron Parker #48 of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 30: Buddy Howell #38 of the Miami Dolphins catches a touchdown pass against Ron Parker #48 of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Houston Texans signed Buddy Howell off waivers over this past weekend and it continues to be puzzling. Why is that the case? Take a look and find out.

The Houston Texans have assembled their 53-man roster to kick off the regular season against the New England Patriots.  Is this the greatest assembly of talent that the Houston Texans have ever had?  The answer to that question is debatable because it’s hard to compare to the 2011 team but I’m going to go with a strong “no” on that question.

But with the team getting through the preseason healthy with just a few exceptions that were undrafted free agents, the Houston Texans are ready to go to war in what will be an ultra-competitive division this season.

With any roster construction, we all have questions as to why this guy was cut or what the heck were the Houston Texans thinking when they retained a player that seemed to be under-performing in our eyes?

Must Read. Texans 2018 consensus award predictions. light

The Houston Texans hung around the waiver wire this offseason and were able to sign three players including cornerback A.J. Moore, safety Natrell Jamerson and the most puzzling of all, running back Greg “Buddy” Howell.

Howell hails from the Miami Dolphins’ roster where he faced stiff competition and was, unfortunately, the odd man out.  He’s a 2018 undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic University.

He’s a 6-foot-2, 225-pound bruiser that can decently run the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds.  He

also does have pass catching abilities but he only caught 10 passes for 69 yards in his collegiate career.  However, he did catch six balls for 53 yards — out of six attempts — with one touchdown in the preseason for the Dolphins.

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According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Howell had a 78.2 overall offensive grade, 75.7 pass-catching grade, and a 77.8 on the run.  Those are all solid grades but I just have one caveat — Troymaine Pope just seemed to fit better with this offense and I think he should’ve been the pick to be the third running back.

Sure, he’s two years older and more undersized than the 22-year-old Howell at 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds but he’s such an explosive back that proved that he could provide help to this team in a multitude of ways, yet I’m still puzzled.

In comparison to Howell, Pope scored a 60.1 on offense, 62.8 on the pass, and a 56.4 on the run which at the end of the day is still a lackluster comparison.

In terms of their special teams work, Howell had a 62.3 grade versus Pope receiving a 45.8 grade in their work.  Although I think Pope did some terrific work on kickoffs, it seems to me that the Houston Texans are trying to find lightning in a bottle on a younger, stronger back than his counterpart.

If Howell gets the opportunity to produce — which will likely be on special teams — let’s just hope he makes the most of it since my boy Pope is not on the final roster.  But although I disagree with the signing, I can at least say that it’s intriguing yet puzzling.

dark. Next. Five reasons why the Texans will beat the Patriots

We’ll have to see how things pan out. Howell rushed 14 times for 76 yards — 5.4 yards per carry — with one touchdown in the 2018 preseason for the Dolphins.  His longest run was for 31 yards.

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