Former Lions WR Signs With Texans

Could Lions see familiar face in Week 10 matchup?

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus (87). / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus has signed with the Houston Texans, according to reports Tuesday.

The former Lion is looking for his first NFL action since 2022, as he spent last season serving a season-long suspension for violating the league's gambling rules. Cephus was reinstated earlier this offseason and initially signed with the Buffalo Bills.

He was released by the Bills on May 16, less than a month after initially signing the deal. Now, he joins a Texans wide receiver room that was bolstered by the offseason addition of Stefon Diggs.

The Texans are in a similar position to the Lions, as they have endured plenty of hype this offseason after a strong 2023 campaign. Led by second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Texans are viewed among the top AFC contenders to dethrone the back-to-back reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Cephus entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Lions in 2020. He spent three years with the team. The best statistical campaign of his career came in his rookie year, when he caught 20 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns.

The Wisconsin product had a promising start to the 2021 campaign, when he logged 15 catches for 204 yards across five games. However, he suffered a season-ending collarbone injury against the Vikings in Week 5.

He played in three games in 2022, catching two passes for 15 yards before ending up on injured reserve. Cephus returned in 2023, but was released before the season began after news of his suspension was revealed.

Cephus was one of multiple players on the Lions' 2022 squad to receive indefinite suspensions for violating league gambling rules, along with C.J. Moore and Demetrius Taylor. Moore was also reinstated this offseason and returned to the Lions on a one-year deal.

If Cephus is able to stick with the Texans, he would be in line to match up against his former team on Sunday Night Football in Week 10, when Detroit travels to Houston.