Days after arriving at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia to continue training camp, the Houston Texans made a pair of roster moves.
Following a successful workout over the weekend, the Texans signed tight end-fullback Dalton Keene and waived wide receiver Jared Wayne the team announced on Tuesday.
A former standout at Virginia Tech, Keene was a third-round pick (101st overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2020 NFL Draft. He saw action in six games as a rookie, registering three receptions for 16 yards, before a knee injury sidelined him. After being placed on injured reserve in 2021, Keene tried to latch on with the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, but was relegated to their practice squads.
The 6-foot-4, 251-pound Keene joined the Texans in 2023 and played a total of 22 snaps. He spent last season on injured reserve after tearing his ACL, but is reportedly healthy now. Keene has previous experience playing for Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley, who was the Patriots tight ends coach from 2015-'22.
Wayne, who missed practice the past week after straining his hamstring, was scheduled to return this week. A deep play threat, Wayne starred at the University of Pittsburgh from 2019-'22. Across four seasons withe the Panthers, he compiled 146 receptions for 2,308 yards and 13 touchdowns.
After not hearing his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft, Wayne signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent. He saw action in three regular season games last season (40 snaps), and was targeted twice in the Texans Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
