One of the more positive elements of the 2023 Houston Texans is receiver John Metchie.
The former 2022 second-rounder from Alabama had his rookie year robbed as he battled leukemia. Metchie is back on the practice field for the Texans’ offseason workouts, and general manager Nick Caserio was complimentary of his return.
“He’s making progress,” Caserio said after the NFL draft Saturday. “So he was a full participant last week when we got on the field for sort of phase 2, which is what we did.”
The third phase of the Texans’ offseason workouts — organized team activities — begin in a couple of weeks. For skill positions such as receiver, OTAs offer an opportunity to acclimate to the game.
“He hasn’t played football in a long time, so going from Phase 2 then really Phase 3 when we actually start practicing football, some of the football movements that are involved, space, defense — not that we’re going to have contact,” said Caserio.
Last offseason before the leukemia diagnosis, Metchie was limited in his participation as he was recovering from a torn ACL. 2023 represents the first chance for Metchie to participate in a meaningful way.
Said Caserio: “Nobody’s worked harder over the last however many months to get himself to this point. I wouldn’t say anybody is surprised that he’s arrived at this point. I’d say his will to work, his effort, his mental and physical toughness, and the work with the sports performance staff has been incredible. There’s a lot of people that deserve a lot of credit that have helped him get to this point. Start with John. I would say it’s kind of inspiring to see somebody do that. He’s making progress. He’s in a good spot. Haven’t been any setbacks.”
Even though Metchie is the model citizen for optimism around NRG Stadium, Caserio and the Texans remain realistic about his contributions on the field.
“Still a long road ahead of us, and he hasn’t played a lot of football,” said Caserio. “We’re all certainly cautiously optimistic about where he’s headed.”
