The Houston Texans are starting to get healthy at the right time, heading into their first preseason matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

On Tuesday, running back Dameon Pierce returned to practice, giving the ground game a much-needed jolt in team drills.

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On Wednesday, linebacker Christian Harris finally returned to running drills after working off to the side for over a week.

The duo had missed 11 practices leading up to Wednesday’s final day of a walkthrough on Thursday. Even if neither player sees substantial action in the preseason showdown at U.S. Bank Stadium, having them on the field is essential toward finalizing the roster and understanding the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

“It’s dope to see those guys come back. It’s not always easy,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “They feel like they’re isolated from the team and I think the most important thing is just getting them around us and around the guys. I think those guys are pivotal to our success and I’m excited to see those guys come back and work their tails off.”

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Since practice was more so a walk-through, neither player saw hard contact. Both, however, ran with the first-team offense, with Pierce at running back and Harris in place of Henry To’oTo’o.

For Pierce, he’ll likely compete with veteran Nick Chubb for second-team reps behind Pro Bowler Joe Mixon. There likely would have been a rotation between the two, but Chubb didn’t practice on Wednesday for what’s considered to nothing major surrounding his long-term status.

Initially viewed as a Texans’ starting-caliber player, Pierce made headlines as a rookie after rushing for a career-high 939 yards and four touchdowns. Since then, he’s been mundane at best, never rushing for more than 420 yards in a season. Pierce has also been a staple on special teams, averaging 37.7 yards per kickoff return for his career.

Harris, who finished with 101 tackles in 2023, missed most of the 2024 season with a calf injury. Even when he returned, the former breakout star from Alabama only totaled 20 tackles and started one game, having lost reps to To’oTo’o in practice.

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From an upside standpoint, Harris has the most potential of any linebacker on the roster. Health, however, has limited his success to build off a promising second season that eventually had fans talking about him as a potential Dre Greenlaw clone.

But with both players seeing first-team reps despite missing ample time, it’s a positive sign that the dupwho are entering the final years of their rookie deals.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans get LB Harris, RB Pierce back at practice before preseason game