The Texans shored up their defensive end rotation on Wednesday by signing veteran free agents Ryan Denney and Adewale Ogunleye.
Denney (6-7, 276) and Ogunleye (6-4, 260) are both 33. They're taking the roster spots of Connor Barwin, who was placed on injured reserve, and Tim Jamison, who was waived.
Barwin dislocated his right ankle against the Colts on Sunday and had surgery this week. With defensive end Tim Bulman already on injured reserve, that left Jamison and second-year pro Jesse Nading as the Texans' lone backups to Mario Williams and Antonio Smith.
"'Wale (Ogunleye) has a lot of experience rushing the passer," Kubiak said. "We needed some guys who played some snaps in this league. A young guy wasn't going to fulfill our situation. Basically, they are the same guy. They have experience and both have been successful in this league.
"Watching them work out and they both being the class act that they are, we thought it would be a strength if we go out and sign them both. So we're lucky to get them."
Ogunleye has 67 sacks in nine NFL seasons, the last six of which he spent with the Chicago Bears. He had 6.5 sacks in 14 games last season before fracturing his fibula. He entered the league in 2000 with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana.
Denney comes to the Texans after eight seasons with the Buffalo Bills, who drafted him in the second round from BYU in 2002. He played for Texans defensive line coach Bill Kollar in Buffalo from 2006-08, recording 11 sacks in that span, and had 2.0 sacks in 16 games last season.
Kubiak said he isn't sure how quickly Denney and Ogunleye, who both practiced at the Methodist Training Center on Wednesday, will be able to work themselves into the Texans' rotation.
"I have to go back and watch practice," Kubiak said. "Of all the guys we worked out, we thought they were in the best condition to go out and play 20 plays."
