The Houston Texans released their second injury report of the week on Thursday ahead of their matchup against the Washington Commanders this weekend. After listing a whopping six players as non-participants on Wednesday, the team trimmed that number to just one today, with the lone holdout being rookie cornerback Derek Stingley, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.
Stingley had been limited on Wednesday but seems to have taken a step back given his designation on Thursday. Linebacker Neville Hewitt is also having trouble with a hamstring and was the only player listed as a limited participant in today’s practice.
Among the notable players whose status changed for the better were defensive lineman Maliek Collins, receivers Nico Collins and Brandin Cooks, and linebackers Christian Kirksey and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who were all listed as full participants. Offensive lineman Kenyon Green and running back Dare Ogunbowale joined their teammates with the same designation after being listed as limited and non-participants on Wednesday respectively.
The Texans’ health will be a primary concern for the team heading into their challenging Week 11 matchup against the Commanders that managed to knock off the NFL’s last undefeated team, the Philadelphia Eagles, on Monday. Houston is likely to be outmatched against Washington, but given their mostly clean injury report, they may have at least one advantage given that the Commanders had seven players listed as limited or non-participants.
Clearly, the Texans’ most impactful loss on Thursday was Derek Stingley, who could be at risk of missing Sunday’s game if his status does not improve in the coming days. His absence against the surging Commanders would leave the defense at a huge loss given Washington’s depth at the wide receiver position. Fortunately, Houston’s burgeoning pass rush should be able to find success if the defensive line unit continues to stay healthy through the team’s final practices this week.