Rashad

Butler

We have to believe they’ll add competition before camp, but for now Butler is penciled in. A former third-round pick out of Miami, Butler is considered a proficient, athletic pass blocker, but a downgrade from outgoing RT Eric Winston from a run-blocking standpoint. Butler missed all but two games last season with a torn triceps. He’s 29 and has only made four career starts.

“I’ve been rehabbing hard, but I can’t tell you it’s 100 percent yet,” he said. “It’s a lot like an Achilles (tear).” Butler should be ready by training camp, where he is expected to be installed as Eric Winston’s replacement at right tackle.

It’s the same injury that kept Houston’s swing tackle out of 14 games last season. Butler had recently lost the starting right tackle job to Derek Newton. The Texans will have to count on Andrew Gardner as the swing tackle while keeping an eye on the waiver wire.

Butler has an inside track on Eric Winston’s old job, but he’ll be pushed by Newton. “He’s doing really well,” Kubiak said of Newton. “We’re in shorts, so it’s hard to tell with big guys. Athletically and then now mentally, Newton’s catching up enough to battle for a starting spot.” Only one year removed from being a seventh-round pick out of small-school Arkansas State, it’s doubtful Newton is polished enough to truly challenge Butler.

The two rotated throughout the preseason, with Newton getting the nod in the pivotal third tuneup. The Texans scored two TDs on his two possessions. He’s a downgrade from Eric Winston, but the Texans still field one of the game’s premier zone-blocking offensive lines. Butler sticks as a quality swing tackle.

A 2006 third-round pick, Butler has appeared in just two games the past two seasons thanks to two tears of his right triceps. He played 245 snaps as the Texans’ swing tackle in 2010. Now on the wrong side of 30, Butler will have to have a strong camp to earn a roster spot as a reserve tackle.

Butler suffered a torn triceps in last week’s game against the Dolphins. Butler has been the Texans’ top swing tackle the past few years, and will return to that role in the final year of his contract next season.

Butler was signed on Saturday as the Steelers continue to grasp for depth at the tackle spot. They traded for Levi Brown, only to see him go down with a triceps injury while warming up for his first game. Kelvin Beachum and Mike Adams are other tackles currently dealing with injuries.

Butler is a vested veteran, but must clear waivers since it’s after the trade deadline. Signed in May, Butler was active for all nine games, but had played only eight snaps. Now on the wrong side of 30, Butler hasn’t started a game since 2010. He’s unlikely to draw interest on waivers.

Butler has upside but was a flop for the Panthers as a third-round draft pick last year. It’s unlikely that he’ll make a big impact for the Texans.