HOUSTON – Once the draft was over, the Texans stayed busy by signing up a small class of undrafted free agents.
That included South Dakota State wide receivers and twin brothers Jaxon Janke and Jadon Janke.
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Jaxon Janke (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) caught 51 passes for 818 yards and five touchdowns last season, finishing his career with 244 catches for 3,677 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Jadon Janke (6-2, 205 pounds) caught 57 passes for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, finishing with 170 career receptions for 2,800 yards and 30 touchdowns.
The Texans signed Virginia Tech defensive tackle Pheldarius Payne, per a league source. Payne (6-3, 285 pounds), 4.85 speed, recorded four sacks with one forced fumble last season. He had an official visits with the New York Giants.
Playing in a rotation, Payne had a 90.7 Pro Football Focus grade for the third-highest Power Five defensive tackle mark. he had 31 tackles and 10 tackles for losses last season.
North Carolina running back British Brooks joined the Texans on an undrafted deal, per a source. Brooks (5-11, 225) rushed for 375 yards and two touchdowns last season, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He rushed for 295 yards in 2021 and four touchdowns, missing the 2022 season due to a torn knee ligament. Brooks is a former walk-on who earned a scholarship.
The Texans signed Illinois linebacker Tarique Barnes to an undrafted deal that includes a $10,000 signing bonus, $85,000 of his contract guaranteed for a total of $95,000 total guaranteed, per a source.
Barnes (6-1, 230) was a team captain, academic All-Big Ten Conference selection who had six starts last season and had 25 tackles and had one sack. He finished his career with 189 tackles, 18 for losses, 5 1/2 sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles.
The Texans signed BYU linebacker Max Tooley to an undrafted deal that includes a $25,000 signing bonus and $100,000 of his base salary guaranteed for $125,000 total guaranteed, per a league source.
Tooley (6-2, 225) had 92 tackles, five for losses, one sack, one forced fumble and one interception last season.
He finished his career with 311 tackles, 16 1/2 for losses, three sacks, two forced fumbles and seven interceptions.
Married last year, Tooley served a religious mission in London, England.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.