DETROIT \u2013 Christian Harris was finally back in his element: hustling to the football, instinctively reacting to make tackles with aggressiveness and athleticism.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Harris, after navigating a difficult rehab process for a calf injury he called frustrating, got to enjoy himself again on the football field. He shed the rust he accumulated during a lengthy convalescence and recorded two tackles in a 26-7 preseason win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s night and day, man,\u201d Harris said. \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing to be out here, put the pads on, be with the guys. It was nice to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the most talented football players on the roster, the Texans<\/a> <\/a>linebacker put in grueling hours last year preparing for what he had hoped would be a breakout season.<\/p>\n That included training in sand pits and doing defensive back drills to further accentuate his superior athleticism. Despite all of his work, Harris\u2019 season went awry.<\/p>\n The former Alabama standout and third-round draft pick first injured his calf in July at training camp, there wasn\u2019t even an inkling that a soft-tissue injury would sideline him the entire preseason as well as the first three months of the regular season. However, Harris had a setback as he aggravated his strained calf in August and was placed on injured reserve. Although he returned to action late in the season, he injured his ankle and missed the entire offseason. <\/p>\n The reason it took so long for Harris to get back on the field: being sure he wouldn\u2019t hurt it again.<\/p>\n \u201cMore so not trying to let it happen again,\u201d Harris said. \u201cIt\u2019s a tricky situation, having a calf. You know, whenever you feel like you\u2019re all the way back, sometimes it\u2019s not really the case. You gotta make sure you check everything.\u201d<\/p>\n He was limited to three games overall, 20 tackles and one sack one year removed from a 101-tackle, two-sack season during which he started 12 of 16 games played and displayed a high-energy, aggressive style of play. When he got back on the field, Harris injured his ankle and was sidelined again.<\/p>\n Harris and the Texans are hoping for a healthy 2025 season and the production he was generating two seasons ago that included an interception return for a touchdown as coach DeMeco Ryans advised him where Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco was going to throw the football in an AFC wild-card playoff win.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean obviously, I want to do that as many times as possible,\u201d Harris said. \u201cTo your point with the question earlier about the consistency piece, precision, just doing that as much as possible.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n With 4.44 speed in the 40-yard dash, Harris is faster than many of the running backs he competes against.<\/p>\n Harris played defensive back in high school in Baton Rouge, La.<\/p>\n Texans coach DeMeco Ryans expressed confidence previously that the team can get Harris ready for the regular season. Now, that has come to fruition through a focused plan for return to play for Harris and running back Dameon Pierce.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like guys need to have those live reps, especially when you come back from injury,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cThat mental hurdle when you come back from injury is you have to hit the ground, you have to get up, dust yourself off and know like, \u2018I\u2019m OK, I\u2019m back.\u2019 <\/p>\n \u201cBefore you take that step, instill in your mind, instilling plays in your mind, \u2018Are you all the way healthy? Are you all the way back?\u2019 That was the importance of today for Christian and for Dameon is to get them some live reps and they took advantage of it and they did a good job with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Harris and Pierce, back from a strained quadriceps, leaned on each other for moral support, encouraging each other in the training room and on the practice field as they worked through their respective injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cTough process, we were there for each other throughout it all,\u201d Harris said. \u201cSo, keep stacking, brick by brick, we did it by that motto.\u201d<\/p>\n Playing for Ryans, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker and former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year with the Texans and a fellow former Alabama standout, is gratifying to Harris. So is a play-fast, run-and-hit defensive scheme engineered by Ryans.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about speed and physicality,\u201d Harris said. \u201cWe all love ball.\u201d<\/p>\n