HOUSTON – Texans cornerback Ajani Carter and outside linebacker Xavier Thomas were waived from injured reserve Wednesday.
Carter is healthy enough to return this season after undergoing and rehabbing from successful arthroscopic knee surgery, per a league source.
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The cleanup procedure for the North Shore graduate should allow him to rehab the knee and get back on the field.
He is currently on the Texans’ injured reserve list after being waived-injured. He can be removed from injured reserve with an injury settlement and then sign with the Texans or another team after an undetermined amount of weeks.
Carter joined the Texans last season and was primarily on the practice squad. He played in two regular-season games.
Carter is a former University of Houston and North Shore player who went undrafted and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played 20 snaps on special teams against Tennessee for 74 percent participation.
A Utah State transfer, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound former all-district wide receiver tied for third on the Coogs last year with three pass breakups and allowed one or no catches in six games. He played 453 snaps, 360 on defense and 92 on special teams.
At Utah State, he intercepted four passes overall.
He had 33 catches for 495 yards and seven touchdowns in high school on a state championship squad, beating Duncanville as part of a 16-0 season. He also played baseball and ran track.
Thomas is a former Cardinals fifth-round draft pick from Clemson.
He played in 14 games as a rookie last year and had 10 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defensed. with two tackles for losses.
Thomas (6-foot-2, 250 pounds) won a national championship in college and was a two-time third-team all-conference selection. He recorded 18 career sacks and 33 tackles for losses.
He has run the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds and bench pressed 225 pounds 26 times.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com