Dennis Houston

Dennis Houston
No. 89 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1999-04-24) April 24, 1999 (age 25)
Fort Hood, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:Earl Warren
(San Antonio, Texas)
College:Houston Baptist (2017)
Fullerton (2018)
Western Illinois (2019–2021)
Undrafted:2022
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:2
Receiving yards:16
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Dennis Houston (born April 24, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Illinois.

Early life

Houston grew up in San Antonio, Texas and attended Earl Warren High School.[1]

College career

Houston began his college football career at Houston Baptist. He caught 33 passes for 362 yards as a freshman. After the season, Houston transferred to Fullerton College and had 360 receiving yards and three touchdowns.[2] He then transferred to Western Illinois for his remaining collegiate eligibility.[3]

As a junior, he led the team with 539 receiving yards on 36 catches and scored three touchdowns.[4]

As a senior, he was named first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) after leading the team with 43 receptions and 477 receiving yards with two touchdowns during the spring 2021 season, which was delayed from the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

As a fifth-year senior, Houston caught 90 passes for 1,015 yards and six touchdowns and was again named first-team All-MVFC.[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		198 lb
(90 kg) 		31+5⁄8 in
(0.80 m) 		8+5⁄8 in
(0.22 m)		 4.49 s 1.55 s 2.69 s 4.35 s 7.17 s 39.0 in
(0.99 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)		 19 reps
All values from Pro Day[7]

Dallas Cowboys

Houston was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2022 NFL draft on May 3.[8] During training camp, he took advantage of injuries to wide receivers Michael Gallup and James Washington to pass third-round draft choice Jalen Tolbert on the depth chart.[9] The Cowboys gave him a chance to grow his role on the team during the first 2 games of the season, but he only posted 2 receptions for 16 yards. He was waived on September 20 and re-signed to the practice squad.[10] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 25, 2023.[11] He was waived on August 29, 2023.[12]

New York Giants

On August 31, 2023, Houston was signed to the New York Giants practice squad.[13] Following the end of the 2023 regular season, the Giants signed him to a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.[14]

Houston was waived by the Giants on August 20, 2024.[15]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On October 23, 2024, Houston signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad.[16]

Houston and another football player were charged with aggravated sexual assault during his freshman season at Houston Baptist in 2017.[17]

References

  1. ^ Zuvanich, Adam (January 6, 2017). "Motherly love helps Houston shine as senior". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Clements, Brandon (August 7, 2022). "Cowboys wide receiver room has been hampered by injuries, but an unexpected name has stepped up". BloggingTheBoys.com. SB Nation. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  3. ^ Eatman, Nick (June 21, 2022). "Role Call: WR Houston Trying To Make It In Dallas". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  4. ^ "New-look defense gives Western hope for turning over a new leaf". ChicagoNow. March 6, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "Houston leads the way for WIU on All-MVFC team". The McDonough County Voice. July 27, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Cowlishaw, Tim (August 4, 2022). "In one year, Cowboys WR room morphed from a trio of potential 1,000-yarders to uncertainty". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  7. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Dennis Houston, Western Illinois NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  8. ^ "Cowboys' Dennis Houston: Signs in Dallas". CBS Sports. RotoWire. May 3, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  9. ^ Ryan, Nate (August 30, 2022). "San Antonio native Dennis Houston makes Cowboys 53-man roster". KENS5.com. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  10. ^ Alper, Josh (September 20, 2022). "Cowboys waive Dennis Houston". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  11. ^ "Cowboys' Dennis Houston: Sticks with Dallas". CBSSports.com. January 25, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  12. ^ Harris, Nick (August 29, 2023). "Cowboys announce 36 roster moves ahead of regular season". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Eisen, Michael (August 31, 2023). "Giants fill out practice squad in series of roster moves". Giants.com.
  14. ^ "Giants sign 10 players to reserve/future contracts". Giants.com. January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Benton, Dan. "Giants sign Clayton Isbell, waive Dennis Houston". Giants Wire. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Smith, Scott (October 23, 2024). "Bucs Promote WR Ryan Miller, P Trenton Gill Among Series of Moves". Buccaneers.com.
  17. ^ Arnold, Robert (December 7, 2017). "Former Warren football player accused of sexual assault". KSAT.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022.