Injuries are a problem for every team in the NFL but after
just a few days into training camp the Texans have some major holes in the
starting rotation. Cornerback Demarcus Faggins fractured his foot after going up
for an interception the first day of practice. Faggins will be out for 8-10
weeks after having corrective surgery to repair the outer bone in his foot.
A few days later starting cornerback Dunta Robinson rolled
his ankle covering WR Andre Johnson. Robinson’s injury was only a minor ankle
twist but could have been worse. That would have put a big hit on the Texans
secondary. Kubiak has faith that he should be able to come back pretty soon
saying “he rolled his ankle a little bit…. and then he went out and it started
to twinge on him. We said ‘Hey, let’s give him a break.’ It’s just a precaution,
but he’s fine, he’ll be ok.”
The Texans had to work some overtime to sign Chiefs
cornerback Dexter McCleon. He will add veteran depth the Texans’ backfield needs
to fill the void of injured cornerback Faggins. Although they signed a veteran
for depth, they are far from done. They will need to sign yet another to have
the depth Kubiak wants to start the season with.
Linebacker Sam Cowart also caught the injury bug during the
off-season along with DT Travis Johnson and Jerome Mathis. Cowart and Johnson
should be ready to hit the field in a limited role during training camp. Mathis
will still be out five to six games of the regular season.
Kailee Wong is slated to come back by the start of the
season and help out the Texans’ linebacker core. Domanick Davis is slowly
starting to participate in practice. Although he has been experiencing some
soreness during practice, Kubiak expects him to make a full recovery in time to
start the season. Kubiak stated at practice that, “the first two days were good.
There was a little soreness yesterday. He came in and we took a look at it. We
took an MRI yesterday; it looked good. It is bothering him; he is sore.” The
coaching staff may be having him practice for two days then take a day off to
“do what’s best for Davis and the football team.”
Williams has been at full steam since his foot surgery and
has impressed the coaches and the media alike. John Mclain of the Houston
Chronicle even complimented Williams by writing in his blog, “Williams usually
destroys whoever he's going against. He's so quick off the ball. Strong, too.”
He even goes further saying, “Weaver and Williams playing next to each other
could be an awesome one-two punch.”
With all the injuries racking up and some getting better,
all we can do as fans is have hope and faith the Texans’ will be healthy enough
to put up a fight this year against some good NFL teams. Staying healthy is the
key to a successful team.