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By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Three-year veteran quarterback Dave Ragone, released on Friday by the Houston Texans, was awarded to the Cincinnati Bengals on a waiver claim Wednesday afternoon.

Once regarded as a solid prospect, and a player who might eventually emerge as a starter in the league, Ragone might be the kind of quarterback the Bengals have been attempting to develop as a young backup to starter Carson Palmer. He joins veterans Anthony Wright and Doug Johnson and rookie undrafted free agent Erik Meyer of Eastern Michigan on the depth chart.

Wright, signed as an unrestricted free agent last month, is the favorite to grab the No. 2 job. Cincinnati officials, though, would eventually prefer to have a younger primary backup, and a quarterback whose skills set is similar to that of Palmer in terms of arm strength and ability to be a solid pocket passer.

Ragone, 26, played in only two games in his three seasons with the Texans. He started two contests as a rookie, when David Carr was injured, and completed 20 of 40 passes for 135 yards, with one interception. He also rushed for 51 yards on six carries.

But over the past two seasons, Ragone did not appear in a single game, and as a pure, dropback pocket passer, he was probably ill-suited for the offense being installed by Texans first-year coach Gary Kubiak this spring. That offense will require more mobility from the quarterback and movement skills have never been Ragone's strong suit.

On the revamped depth chart, Ragone had been replaced as the No. 3 quarterback by rookie Quinton Porter, an undrafted free agent from Boston College who has impressed the coaches. The Texans earlier in the spring signed former Miami backup Sage Rosenfels to take over the No. 2 spot behind Carr, a job held by veteran Tony Banks the past four seasons.

Ragone was the Texans' third-round choice in the 2003 draft, the 88th player selected that year, following a standout career at Louisville. He signed a three-year, $1.35 million contract that included a signing bonus of $440,000. Then, this year, the Texans retained his rights as a restricted free agent and earlier this month signed him to the one-year qualifying offer of $721,600.

By claiming Ragone on waivers, the Bengals inherit his one-year, $721,600 deal. Barring an extension, Ragone will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring. If the Bengals like what they see of him in camp, they likely will attempt to sign Ragone to a longer-term deal.

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