ESPN NFL

With just two healthy defensive tackles, the Houston Texans have re-signed free agent Cedric Killings, a much-traveled five-year veteran who was with the team in training camp, but was released in the final roster cutdown to the 53-player limit.

Killings, 29, is expected to play as a backup in Sunday's game at Carolina.

Both the Texans' starters, 'under' tackle Amobi Okoye (toe) and nose tackle Travis Johnson (ankle), are nursing injuries, and their availability for the game is uncertain. That left Jeff Zgonina and Anthony Maddox as the only two healthy players at the position.

The Texans turned to Killings because of his familiarity with their defense, and his ability to step in and immediately contribute.

A former Carson-Newman standout, Killings signed with Houston as a free agent late in the 2006 season when the Texans' tackle ranks were also thinned by injuries, and played well in four appearances. At 6-feet-2 and 310 pounds, the journeyman Killings is a good player versus the run and can help anchor the interior.

Killings originally entered the NFL with San Francisco in 2000, signing as an undrafted college free agent. He appeared in 14 games as a rookie, but has bounced around the NFL ever since, and been released six times. After San Francisco, his subsequent stops were in Cleveland, Carolina, Minnesota and Washington.

In 32 games, including two starts, Killings has 45 tackles and three sacks.

Details of Killings' contract were not available, but it is believed he signed a one-year deal for the minimum base salary.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.