The Texans worked out running backs Kalen Ballage, Sewo Olonilua and Brenden Knox on Thursday, per a league source.
None of them were immediately signed as the Texans signed former Las Vegas Raiders running back B.J. Emmons on Wednesday night.
Ballage is a former Miami Dolphins fourth-round draft pick who has also played for the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers.
Ballage (6-foot-1, 228 pounds) rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown as a rookie and 135 yards and three scores in his second season. The Dolphins attempted to trade him to the Jets two years ago for a conditional seventh-round draft pick, but the trade was voided when Ballage failed his physical. He was cut with an injury settlement and then re-signed.He was with the Steelers last season.
Olonilua is a former TCU standout.
Olonilua (6-foot-3, 240 pounds) went undrafted last year and spent his rookie season on the Cowboys' injured reserve list with a neck injury. He was released by the Cowboys in May when they signed fullback Ryan Nall.
Olonilua played high school football at Kingwood in the Houston suburbs and was an All-American selection.
He chose TCU over competing scholarship offers from LSU, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.He rushed for 637 yards as a junior and a school bowl record 194 yards. He rushed for 537 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior.
The Texans also worked out former Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs running back Brenden Knox, per a league source.
Knox went undrafted out of Marshall University and signed with the Cowboys before being released and then joining the Chiefs. He rushed for 2,852 yards and 24 touchdowns at Marshall.
Emmons played for Texans tight ends coach Tim Berbenich with the Las Vegas Raiders when he was coaching running backs.
The Texans placed running back Darius Anderson on injured reserve with a dislocated knee that will require season-ending surgery.
Emmons has played for the Tampa Bay Bandits in the USFL and with the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars and Raiders.
Emmons (6-foot, 220 pounds), an Alabama transfer who finished his career at Florida Atlantic, rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown for the Crimson Tide before transferring to Hutchinson Community College. As a junior, he rushed for 237 yards and six touchdowns despite missing time with a broken ankle. In a COVID-shortened season in 2020, he rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown.
With the Raiders, he rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in three preseason games in 2021. He was signed to the practice squad, released then signed by the Seahawks, then released and signed by the Jaguars.
Aaron Wilson is a Pro Football Network reporter and a contributor to Sports Talk 790.