The Daily Blender Home

The Seahawks have received trade inquiries about Howell and are open to trading him, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: Howell served as Seattle's backup last season and threw just 14 passes behind the mostly healthy Geno Smith. With Smith now in Las Vegas, Seattle has revamped its quarterback room, bringing in both Sam Darnold and Drew Lock. GM John Schneider said earlier this week that Howell would compete with Lock for the backup QB role, but the organization's reported willingness to deal Howell suggests that Lock has the inside track on the job. Howell could be an intriguing option for teams in need of a backup QB -- despite his struggles in a very limited sample last season (he completed just five of those 14 pass attempts), he has ample experience as a starter, completing 63 percent of his pass attempts for 3,946 yards and a 21:21 TD:INT over 17 regular-season games with Washington in 2023.

The Texans signed Smith to a one-year contract Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Analysis: Smith hooked on with Houston's practice squad last September and ended up getting signed to the team's active roster in December. The veteran tight end played in five total regular-season games and didn't see a target on offense, though he did catch one pass for two yards in the Texans' playoff loss to Kansas City. Smith figures to again be buried on Houston's depth chart when the team's tight-end corps is healthy, though Brevin Jordan is recovering from a torn ACL and Cade Stover fractured his collarbone in the team's wild-card win against the Chargers in January.

The Titans waived Duke (undisclosed) on Friday with a non-football injury designation, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Analysis: Duke, who went undrafted out of Kansas State last season, logged two regular-season appearances with Tennessee as a rookie. Across 12 combined defensive snaps, he tallied one solo tackle.