Reports are right tackle Tytus Howard will be out for six weeks with a broken hand, but DeMeco Ryans won’t commit to any particular time table.
The Houston Texans’ coach met with reporters Tuesday and would not get into specifics as to whether Howard would make his debut on time or delayed to Week 2.
“We’ll see,” Ryans said. “We will. I mean, we’re far away from the first game. There’s a lot of things that can happen — a lot of things can transpire from between now and the first game. We’ll take care of that once we get there.”
The first-year coach clarified that what captures his attention is the present: Houston’s preseason opener at the New England Patriots on Aug. 10 at Gillette Stadium.
“For right now, the focus for us is going out and playing a great game on Thursday night,” said Ryans. “That’s our focus. That’s where everything is — we want to see our guys go out and improve, get better and showcase all of the things they worked on here in training camp, OTAs. Can they go do it when the lights are on? And that’s what we want to see. That’s our main focus right now.”
Eventually Howard’s availability and solutions at right tackle will come into Ryans’ focus as time marches toward Sept. 10 and the Texans’ opener at the Baltimore Ravens.
