Texans releasing Ryan Finley after trading for him
The Houston Texans didn’t need to see quarterback Ryan Finley perform in organized team activities to know he wasn’t long for the club.
NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported Monday afternoon that the Texans are releasing the signal-caller selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Houston traded with Cincinnati for Finley in March in a deal that included the teams swapping late-round draft picks.
However, the Texans signed Jeff Driskel last week via a transaction that made Finley surplus to requirements.
Finley has completed 58 of 119 passes for 638 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions across eight regular-season appearances. He was part of a quarterback room that included a disgruntled Deshaun Watson, veteran and presumed current Houston QB1 Tyrod Taylor, and third-round draft pick Davis Mills.
Watson is skipping OTAs and wants to be traded, but his status for the 2021 campaign remains up in the air as he’s facing 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and misconduct. He’s denied any wrongdoing regarding those accusations but could face a suspension or be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list for part or all of the season.
