Expansion Draft

Len Pasquarelli

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Sunday, February 17
 
Bears QB Wuerffel could land in Houston

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

With a final accounting of 2002 salary cap figures in hand, and some veterans carrying smaller price tags than originally anticipated, the Houston Texans likely will select a few more players now in the Monday expansion draft to help stock the new franchise’s roster.

That means the Texans probably will choose a quarterback and the most viable candidate from the list of six available passers, team sources said Sunday evening, is former Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel of the Chicago Bears.

Houston has been able to expand its list a bit because cap charges have been adjusted for some of the players the Texans will choose. The cap charge for Jacksonville Jaguars offensive left tackle Tony Boselli, for instance, has been reduced from $8.9 million to $6.88 million. General manager Charley Casserly, who has confirmed he will choose Boselli, will use the savings to add perhaps two or three more players to his roster.

Only a week ago, team officials indicated the Texans would become the first expansion franchise since the mid-'70s to not choose a quarterback from the expansion pool. Houston is expected to use the initial pick in the 2002 draft on Fresno State quarterback David Carr, and to sign a veteran from the unrestricted free agent pool to serve as its starter until he has served his apprenticeship and is ready to play in a couple years.

Four of the six quarterbacks made available to the Texans for the expansion draft – Charlie Batch of Detroit (cap charge: $3.638 million), New Orleans’ Jeff Blake ($5.92 million), Chris Chandler of Atlanta ($8.5 million) and Rob Johnson of Buffalo ($10.575 million) -- carry cap charges that are considered by Houston management to be excessive.

Only Wuerffel ($555,760) and former CFL star Dave Dickenson of San Diego ($315,000) have manageable cap numbers.

Among the 34 so-called “street” free agents signed by the Texans since December, journeyman Mike Quinn is the lone quarterback. He and Wuerffel would be counted on to get the franchise through its early mini-camps. Plus as a former Heisman winner and one of the all-time passing stars in college history, Wuerffel provides some public relations benefit.

Wuerffel, 27, has bounced around the NFL since entering the league in 1997. He has played with the New Orleans Saints (1997-99), the Green Bay Packers (2000) and the Bears (2001). In that time, he has appeared in 18 games and started six of them, completing 126 of 258 passes for 1,404 yards, with nine touchdown passes, 16 interceptions and an efficiency rating of 51.2.

The former University of Florida star has appeared in only two regular-season games in the last two years, however, and hasn’t thrown a pass since the 1999 season or started since 1998.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.







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