The Texans' one-year deal for veteran safety Mike Adams only counts for $553,235 against the NFL salary-cap limit under the veteran minimum salary benefit.
Adams is due $787,647 for the remainder of the season, a rate of $1.03 million if he had been on the roster for 16 games.
He received a $60,000 signing bonus.
The Texans have $22 million available in salary-cap space.
TEXAS SPORTS NATION: Get the newsletter for real sports fans sent directly to your inbox.