HOUSTON – The Texans are relatively healthy heading into a Monday night road playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Only one player was unable to practice this week: reserve running back Jawhar Jordan. Jordan suffered a high-ankle sprain on an unflagged apparent hip drop tackle Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, per a league source.
Jordan rushed for 193 yards on 43 carries during the regular season, including a career-high 101 yards in his NFL debut against the Arizona Cardinals.
Texans primary running back Woody Marks is completely healthy and off the injury report after dealing with an ankle injury during the regular season. He’ll be backed up by Nick Chubb, Dare Ogunbowale and British Brooks.
Texans standout cornerback Kamari Lassiter returned to practice Friday and practiced again Saturday. Lassiter affirmed he’s good to go for an AFC wild-card round playoff game.
This was an expected development considering what league sources predicted for Lassiter going back to last week and what he told KPRC 2 about his status.
Lassiter appeared to have normal mobility, but participated on a limited basis. He is managing lingering knee and ankle injuries. Lassiter didn’t practice Thursday, which follows a trend of him being rested during the week and then playing in the game.
After practice Thursday, Lassiter told KPRC 2 he’s good to go for the AFC wild-card round playoff game and emphasized he could have played last week in the regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts.
“Yes sir,” Lassiter said when asked if he’ll be ready for Monday night. “It’s kind of give and take. In my head, if I can walk, if I can talk, I can play. It’s kind of that gray line between protecting yourself from yourself. And that’s all it was, and I appreciate it.”
Lassiter refused to leave a game against the Los Angeles Chargers despite the knee injury. Lassiter is still working his way back to 100 percent after dealing with multiple injuries this season and still intercepting four passes. The Pro Bowl alternate told coach DeMeco Ryans there was no way he was coming out of the Chargers game, a victory that clinched a playoff berth.
Lassiter recorded 91 tackles during the regular season, seven for losses and 17 passes defensed. Playing opposite All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr., Lassiter gets targeted more frequently. He has more than held up in single coverage, allowing 56 catches on 97 targets for 690 yards and five scores with an average passer rating against him of 79.8.
His aggressive tackling style sets Lassiter apart.
“We know what he brings to the table for this defense,” safety Calen Bullock said of his teammate and best friend. “So just not having him out there last game, we knew that it was best for him to sit out and wait for the playoffs. So, we know what he’s about to bring to the table this week.”
Right offensive tackle Tytus Howard (ankle) returned to practice. He was on the injury report Thursday, but downplayed the severity and called it a rest day and emphasized he’ll be fine for the game. He was limited.
Running back Jawhar Jordan remains sidelined with a high-ankle sprain suffered on an apparent illegal and unflagged hip drop tackle, per league sources. Jordan was the only player that didn’t practice
Defensive lineman Denico Autry returned to practice. He is listed every week with a preexisting knee injury and gets some rest in a nod to the injury and his age and experience. He was limited
The Texans officially designated rookie safety Jaylen Reed for return and he practiced for the second time since aggravating a forearm injury against the Indianapolis Colts and undergoing surgery. Reed was upgraded to full participation and is trending toward being activated for Monday night.
“Excited to have Jaylen back,” said Ryans, who added that they will continue to evaluate Reed throughout the week before making a final decision on his status for the playoff game.
Reed recovered from a broken metal plate inside his forearm that required surgery and is being designated for return, per sources. Reed was named a starter after recording 11 tackles and a fumble recovery against the Buffalo Bills. He got hurt in a road game against the Indianapolis Colts, aggravating an injury he sustained at Penn State.
Reed is a former second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection who has a hard-hitting presence. He had eight solo tackles with one more on special teams against the Bills.
The Texans have until Monday to activate Reed. Safety has been a revolving door opposite Pro Bowl alternate Calen Bullock, going from C.J. Gardner-Johnson, cut after a series of behind the scenes issues and not fitting into the defensive scheme, M.J. Stewart, out for season with a torn quadriceps tendon, Reed, then Myles Bryant, benched for missing tackles against the Las Vegas Raiders and K’Von Wallace, who was released and is now back on the practice squad.
“It’s a unique skill set and a unique talent that he brings, and I would say that that’s pretty rare in a corner and the way he plays,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “He’s a want-to tackler, not a need-to. If you need to make a tackle, they do it, but he’s a want-to tackler. He wants to get in there.
“He wants to stick his face on things. He wants to be physical. He craves that and that’s not a common skill in that position. I think it’s, again, that’s part of the culture in the den that we’ve built. He’s at the forefront of that for sure.”
Texans offensive tackle Trent Brown has missed the past two games with knee and ankle injuries. He is still not fully recovered, but there is hope that Brown can play Monday night. Brown is practicing the past two days on a limited basis.
If Brown can’t go, Howard would likely play right tackle again with Jarrett Patterson at left guard.
Backup linebacker Jamal Hill, a special-teams standout, returned to practice the past two days after recovering from a calf injury that sidelined him the past few games. Hill was upgraded to full participation.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
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