The Texans were awarded running back Royce Freeman off waivers from the Carolina Panthers, according to a league source.
They placed running back Scottie Phillips on injured reserve with a leg injury.
Freeman is a former Denver Broncos starter.
Freeman (5-foot-11, 229 pounds) has run the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds.
He was drafted by the Broncos in the third round out of Oregon.
In 2018 as a rookie, he rushed for 521 yards and five touchdowns on 132 carries. He gained 496 yards and scored three touchdowns with 43 receptions for 256 yards and one score in 2019.
Last season, Freeman rushed for 170 yards and no scores as he was the third running back on the depth chart.
He was claimed off waivers by the Panthers after being cut by Denver this season.
Freeman has rushed for 1,187 career yards with 69 catches for 409 yards.
Phillips got hurt Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. He rushed for two yards on his only carry of the game.
Phillips has been active for three games this season, and he had more of a role in the wake of the Texans trading leading rusher Mark Ingram to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick.
A former undrafted free agent from Mississippi, Phillips has rushed for 13 yards on six carries this season with two receptions for nine yards.
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