Keenum was released by the Texans, the Houston Chronicle reports. This is the proverbial "second shoe to drop" after the Texans traded for quarterback Ryan Mallett from New England. Keenum's problems in the pocket, which emerged last season when he was exposed to NFL defenses over a stretch of games, never got any better.

Keenum completed 8-of-17 passes for 70 yards with an interception in Thursday night's preseason loss to the 49ers. He finished with a 33.9 quarterback rating. Keenum finishes off an uninspiring preseason, but he was no worse than Tom Savage, who was 8-for-12 for 43 yards and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Head coach Bill O'Brien said the quarterback play "wasn't very good," CSN Houston reports. Bottom line, nothing happened Thursday to alter the quarterback depth chart. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starter with Keenum the backup by a small margin over Savage. If there's anything to take away, it's that Fitzpatrick's job is really, really safe.

Keenum will start Thursday's preseason finale, since regular season starter Ryan Fitzpatrick probably won't play, HoustonTexans.com reports. Keenum starting Thursday is mostly newsworthy because it indicates he's still ahead of rookie Tom Savage as the Texans' No. 2 quarterback. With the fourth-rounder reportedly closing the gap on Keenum, Thursday's outing represents a significant game for both backups.

Keenum remains ahead of rookie Tom Savage on the depth chart, but Savage "closed the gap" after Saturday night's preseason win over Denver, according to head coach Bill O'Brien, CSN Houston reports. Keenum moved the Texans on his first drive of the game that resulted in a field goal, but also made some poor decisions and was lucky not to be picked-off on a couple of throws. Meanwhile, Savage engineered a game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. Savage is expected to start the fourth and final preseason game this week.

Keenum struggled with his pocket presence during Saturday night's preseason win over Denver, CSN Houston report. He completed 11-of-18 throws for 74 yards and was sacked once. The numbers don't stand out as being particularly bad, but there are areas of quarterback play that don't show up in the box score. Continuing a trait that emerged last season, Keenum doesn't feel pressure well.

Keenum, who was the third quarterback used in Saturday night's preseason game, is still ahead of rookie Tom Savage on the depth chart, CSN Houston reports. Head coach Bill O'Brien was discussing the quarterbacks in the day-after press conference and noted that Savage is still "a little behind" Keenum.

Keenum was the third quarterback used in Saturday night's preseason win over Atlanta. He completed 6-of-12 for 81 yards with an interception and a 37.2 quarterback rating. Head coach Bill O'Brien had rookie quarterback Tom Savage enter the game following starter Ryan Fitzpatrick, but that was a one-game thing. Keenum remains the top backup at this point. If it turns out that his play doesn't warrant the job, we suspect the Texans will bring in a veteran free agent to operate behind Fitzpatrick.

Though Keenum saw some first-team reps at practice Thursday, before giving way to Ryan Fitzpatrick, per Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com, coach Bill O'Brien indicated that Keenum is not in line to see any first-team reps in Saturday's preseason contest against the Falcons, according to James Palmer of Comcast Sportsnet Houston. While Keenum's first-teams reps Thursday are worth noting, Ryan Fitzpatrick remains the Texans' presumed starter at quarterback, which is reflected by the team's unofficial depth chart, with Keenum seemingly holding the edge over rookie Tom Savage for the team's top backup job.

Case Keenum said he hopes to throw with Andre Johnson this summer before training camp. Nobody with the Texans has seen Johnson in a couple months. Keenum plans to give him a call, so both players can stay sharp before camp opens. Neither Ryan Fitzpatrick nor Tom Savage, the other two quarterbacks in Houston, has ever played with Johnson. It remains to be seen whether Johnson plans to show up for training camp. Keenum is competing with Savage for backup duties.

Speaking Monday, coach Bill O'Brien said the Texans could enter training camp with only three quarterbacks. That means one of Case Keenum or T.J. Yates could be out, as Ryan Fitzpatrick and fourth-rounder Tom Savage aren't going anywhere. Keenum was mostly ineffective in eight starts last season, but at least has big-play ability. Yates has attempted only 32 regular-season passes since filling in for Matt Schaub in 2011.