The Houston Texans found assistance in the backfield.
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The team announced Monday it signed Andre Brown. The Houston Chronicle's John McClain first reported the news. The running back later tweeted out a picture of himself in a Houston cap, confirming he's now on the Texans.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport previously reported that the team met with Brown on Monday, according to a source who had spoken with the former New York Giants runner. Houston added Brown after Ben Tate signed a two-year pact with the Cleveland Browns last month, leaving the Texans without a clear-cut complement to pair with starter Arian Foster.
Adding another runner was a priority for coach Bill O'Brien's team. After piling up 4,251 yards between 2010 and 2012, Foster was limited to just 542 yards over eight games last season before winding up on injured reserve with a back injury that required November surgery. The Texans currently house the uninspiring trio of Dennis Johnson, Deji Karim and Jonathan Grimes as potential No. 2 options.
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Already 27, Brown is mired by durability issues of his own after suffering a broken leg in back-to-back campaigns over the past two seasons. When healthy, he's shown sparks on the ground, rumbling for 5.3 yards per carry in 2012 before seeing that figure dip to 3.5 yards per tote last season.
He's a downgrade from Tate, but Brown came cheap for a team that arguably needed to draft a back if it didn't add help off the open market.
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