The Houston Texans, entering a desperate Week 4, are banged up like most teams around the NFL. But the latest injury report paints a picture of just how grim things are starting to get on both sides of the ball.
Cornerback Jaylin Smith has already been placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, but things got even worse in the secondary when Derek Stingley Jr. suffered an oblique injury in Week 3 that kept him out of practice this week. This is a defense that, at least in the recent era of Texans football, has relied heavily on its secondary to make plays. Seeing Stingley unable to participate in Wednesday’s practice is a concerning sign.
Jimmie Ward, who was just removed from the Commissioner’s Exempt List, remains on the reserve/PUP list as he rehabs his foot injury and still isn’t back. To make matters worse, C.J. Gardner-Johnson was released earlier this week.
That leaves the Texans with serious questions about how their secondary will hold up. And that’s arguably the biggest storyline of all heading into Week 4 against the Titans, a team with dynamic receivers who will require plenty of effort to slow down.
On the offensive side of the ball, Nico Collins — Houston’s star receiver and one of its few reliable weapons — was limited Wednesday. That’s promising, and it looks like he will play Sunday, but the question is whether he’ll be at full strength. The offensive line also has issues, with Tytus Howard missing Wednesday’s practice due to illness. With a few days to recover, he could be ready, but even a less-than-healthy starter can make all the difference in the worst way.
For a team sitting at 0-3 with injuries piling up, the Texans are a loss away from seeing their season effectively slip away just four weeks in. An 0-4 start is often a death sentence for NFL playoff hopes. While every team deals with injuries, the stakes are higher for Houston, and how it handles this wave of adversity could decide its season.