Texans signing veteran running back Rex Burkhead

The Texans' veteran-loaded backfield added another experienced running back to the equation on Tuesday.

The Texans are signing former New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead, according to a league source not authorized to speak publicly.

A Plano native, Burkhead, 30, (5-foot-10, 214 pounds) injured his knee, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, last November against the Texans in a 27-20 loss at NRG Stadium and was placed on injured reserve.

New England Patriots v Houston Texans

The Texans previously retained starting running back David Johnson and signed former Pro Bowl selections Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay. They also have Buddy Howell, Scottie Phillips and Dontrell Hilliard on the roster.

A former Cincinnati Bengals sixth-round draft pick from Nebraska, Burkhead is a versatile player capable of running the football, catching passes out of the backfield, pass blocking and operating on special teams. Patriots coach Bill Belichick has called Belichick a "four-down player."

 Before his injury, Burkhead caught two touchdowns last season against the Baltimore Ravens and had 98 yards from scrimmage with two touchdown runs and one touchdown catch in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Burkhead rushed for 274 yards and three touchdowns last season as he averaged 4.1 yards per carry. He caught 25 passes for 192 yards last season and three scores.

For his career, he has rushed for 1,401 yards and 14 scores and caught 130 passes for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns.

In 2019, Burkhead rushed for 302 yards and three scores to go with 27 catches for 279 yards.

Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128.


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