A total of 21 waiver claims were awarded to NFL teams Monday. The Houston Texans, who picked up four players, and the Buffalo Bills, who acquired three, the most active.

The Texans continued, as expected, to juggle the back of their 56-man roster. They picked up cornerbacks Pat Dennis (Dallas) and Jason Bell (Dallas), defensive tackle Willie Blade (Dallas) and offensive tackle Tarlos Thomas (Tennessee). Dennis might have the most potential. He was considered the second-best cornerback on the Cowboys roster, but the Cowboys wanted to go with a different set of younger cornerbacks.

To make room for the four additions, the Texans released cornerbacks Jacoby Shepherd and Hakim Akbar, offensive tackle Jelani Hawkins and defensive tackle Howard Green.

The Bills pointed to the linebacker position. They picked up linebackers Maugaula Tuitele (New England) and Anthony Denman (Cleveland) and released Fred Jones and seventh-round choice Dominique Stevenson. The Bills replaced tackle Kris Farris with Mike Houghton, a sixth-round pick from the Packers.

The Colts continued to rebuild their backup backfield. After trading for Saints halfback Ricky Williams, the Colts claimed Lions halfback James Mungro.

The Panthers had hopes of getting Pat Dennis, but they settled for former Bengals cornerback Rodney Heath to go along with former Eagles halfback Rod "He Hate Me'' Smart. They released linebacker Brad Jackson and cornerback Cordell Taylor. Robert Bean, another former Bengals cornerback, went to the Jaguars, who released Damen Wheelers to make room for him. The Jaguars claimed former Patriots offensive lineman Drew Inzer and released veteran guard Raleigh Roundtree.

The Dolphins believe they got the steal of the waiver wire by claiming former Broncos tight end Desmond Clark, who caught 51 passes last season. They also picked up a cornerback, Lloyd Harrison of the Chargers. Gone are offensive lineman Shawn Draper and veteran linebacker Scott Galyon. The Dolphins believe Clark will only miss three weeks because of the fractured forearm.

The Rams got Bills defensive end Bryce Fisher and signed defensive tackle Nate Hobgood Chittick. The Seahawks picked up Chargers quarterback Dave Dickenson and released veteran quarterback Mark Rypien. The Jets picked up former Giants receiver Derrick Dorris. Halfback Darian Barnes, another former Giant, went to Tampa Bay. The 49ers picked up defensive tackle Garrett Johnson from the Broncos. The Vikings claimed former Cowboys kicker Tim Seder.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.