Rick Mueller, the New Orleans Saints director of player personnel, interviewed with the Houston Texans on Tuesday for their general manager opening. Mueller is the third candidate to interview for the job vacated by Charley Casserly, who resigned to pursue a job with the NFL. Mueller follows Denver assistant general manager Rick Smith and Green Bay director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie.

Roger McKenzie is the second candidate to interview for the Texans' front-office vacancy. McKenzie watched the team's entire practice Wednesday morning and then spent the afternoon interviewing with owner Bob McNair and various members of the organization. "My message was that I'm the man for the job, and I can lead this team," McKenzie said. "I can work with all the powers that be and try to put a championship team together. If the route we want to go is to win, I'm their guy."

Reggie McKenzie, the Packers? director of pro personnel, said on Sunday he has still not heard from the Houston Texans, even though the organization on Saturday asked the Packers for permission to interview him for their vacant general manager position. ?I?ll wait for them to call, I guess,? McKenzie said. ?It?s an honor to be considered, but make no bones about it, I love working for the Packers, and my family loves it here. We?ll see where it goes.?

Denver Broncos assistant general manager Rick Smith visits Reliant Stadium today, as the search for the Texans' next general manager officially will begin. Smith, who just completed his 10th season with the Broncos, will be the first candidate interviewed by Texans owner Bob McNair. He has a close relationship with new coach Gary Kubiak and is well-respected throughout the league, so Smith is expected to be one of the leading candidates for the job. The Texans are seeking candidates who have strong backgrounds in evaluating talent and who can work well with Kubiak.

Reggie Bush underwent an MRI exam on his left hamstring Monday after he spent all three days of the Saints' rookie camp limited to watching or participating in half-speed drills. Bush and Saints coach Sean Payton so far have shown only minimal concern about the injury. "It feels good, but obviously not 100 percent," said Bush, adding he could not recall having a hamstring injury before. "That's why we're taking precaution." Bush said he expected to be "100 percent" by the end of the week, well ahead of the Saints' full-squad minicamp slated for June 2-4.

The Texans are in talks with the New Orleans Saints in hopes of acquiring veteran running back Michael Bennett via trade. With the Saints drafting Southern California running back Reggie Bush, Bennett was pushed to No. 3 on their depth chart behind Bush and Deuce McAllister.

The search for Charley Casserly's replacement as Texans general manager will not begin for at least another week, expect Denver assistant general manager Rick Smith and Green Bay director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie to emerge as leading candidates. Texans owner Bob McNair will have no shortage of candidates eager to replace Casserly, and the list he puts together could start with Smith and McKenzie. Smith has a long association with Texans coach Gary Kubiak. They worked together in Denver for 10 years. When Texans assistant head coach/offense Mike Sherman was Green Bay's head coach for six years, he worked closely with McKenzie. "I'll start dealing with that in a week or two," McNair said. "I'll visit with Gary, and we'll talk about his views. I'll define the job and start looking at potential candidates. "The No. 1 criteria is they have to be a good talent evaluator. Talent and coaching the talent is what it's all about. We have to get someone who has a good eye for talent." Kubiak is excited McNair wants him involved. "Bob and I had a good conversation about it today," Kubiak said Wednesday. "It makes me feel good that he wants my (input). This is a big decision for the organization. We have to do our homework and be very patient. I'm sure a lot of good people will be interested in the job, because it's a tremendous opportunity."

Saying he was leaving on his own terms to pursue a job in the NFL's front office, Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly resigned Wednesday. "I have an interest in doing other things right now," he said. "This was not an easy decision, but it was a decision I felt I had to make at this point in time. "I've been in this league 29 years," Casserly said. "I spent a lot of time talking about this with my family. We came to the same conclusion -- the time was right to move on."

Current Texans General Manager Charlie Casserly has been at the center of every joke regarding the 2006 NFL draft after passing up USC phenom Reggie Bush with the Texans' number one pick. Today he is expected to resign from the Texans top post. Casserly, who joined the franchise in 2000, has spent more than a month deflecting questions regarding his plans beyond April's NFL draft. He and owner Bob McNair said repeatedly that they preferred to focus on the draft for the past few weeks. Casserly continued his stance of not discussing the Reggie Bush issue, and no other Texans officials would comment on today's meeting.

The Houston Texans agreed to terms with running back Antowain Smith, giving the team a backup for starter Domanick Davis. Last season with the New Orleans Saints, Smith filled in for Deuce McAllister after he suffered a season-ending knee injury and ran for 659 yards and three touchdowns.