HOUSTON – The Houston Texans strengthened their secondary by signing unrestricted free agents CB Johnathan Joseph and S Danieal Manning, the team announced today. Houston also re-signed unrestricted free agents DE Tim Bulman and WR Jacoby Jones.
Joseph (5-11, 190) has appeared in 67 games with 58 starts in his career, totaling 272 tackles (220 solo), 76 passes defensed and 14 interceptions for 228 yards and three touchdowns. He entered the NFL as a first-round pick (24th overall) of Cincinnati in the 2006 NFL Draft and spent the first five seasons of his career with the Bengals.
Last season, Joseph started all 12 games in which he appeared, registering 42 tackles (37 solo), eight passes defensed and three interceptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Joseph's best season came in 2009 when he started all 16 games and recorded career highs in interceptions (6), passes defensed (20) and tackles (69). He also forced one fumble and gained 92 yards off six interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
Manning (5-11, 202) has appeared in 77 games, making 56 starts in his five-year career with the Chicago Bears. After being drafted by the Bears in the second round (42nd overall pick) of the 2006 NFL Draft, he has totaled 343 tackles (278 solo), 24 passes defensed, six forced fumbles, two sacks and seven interceptions for 136 yards.
Last season, Manning started all 16 games and racked up 72 tackles (59 solo) and a career-high seven passes defensed. In 2009, he notched a career-high 92 tackles (72 solo), two forced fumbles, one sack and one interception for 35 yards.
In 2008, Manning led the NFL with a 29.7 kickoff return average, totaling 1,070 yards on 36 kickoff returns, including an 83-yard touchdown to earn Sporting News and Pro Football Weekly All-Pro honors.
Bulman (6-4, 275) was originally signed to the Texans' practice squad on Oct. 10, 2006 after spending one season with the Arizona Cardinals. He spent the entire 2010 season on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury during the preseason. In 2008, Bulman appeared in 14 games and recorded 17 tackles (10 solo), four sacks and one fumble recovery. His four sacks ranked second on the team behind Mario Williams. For his career, Bulman has played in 39 games with two starts and has tallied 44 tackles (31 solo) and four sacks for a loss of 14 yards.
Jones (6-2, 210) was originally drafted by the Texans in the third round (73rd overall pick) of the 2007 NFL Draft. Over the last four seasons, he has seen action on offense and special teams and has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week three times. On offense, Jones has reeled in 96 career receptions for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns. Last season, he played in 15 games with seven starts at wide receiver, setting career highs with 51 receptions for 562 yards.
On special teams, Jones has returned two punts and a kickoff for touchdowns, and shares the franchise record for career returns for touchdowns. He is also the only player in Texans history to return two punts for touchdowns. For his career, Jones has averaged 10.0 yards per punt return and holds a career long return of 74 yards on punts and 95 yards on kickoffs.
