With the Houston Texans on a short week, current injured players might be out again if not fully cleared.
That seems to be the case for defensive captain and safety Jimmie Ward, who has remained sidelined for the previous three games after suffering a groin injury in Week 5’s win at home.
Will Ward suit up on “Thursday Night Football” when the Texans take on the New York Jets? Here’s what happened and his current status entering Thursday morning.
Jimmie Ward injury update
Ward suffered a knee injury in the third quarter of the team’s Week 5 win over the Buffalo Bills. The veteran defensive back had previously missed Week 4’s over the Jaguars for the same injury but was healthy enough to return after further testing the following week.
Since leaving NRG Stadium, Ward hasn’t been cleared to play, though the injury was severe enough to land him on the injured reserve.
The Texans have been optimistic surrounding his status, but Ward has either missed practice or been a limited participant since the beginning of the month.
While Ward did practice on Tuesday, the Texans ruled him out once more before leaving for MetLife Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
He will miss his fourth consecutive game as Houston looks to improve to 7-2 to close out the month of October.
How long will Jimmie Ward be out?
Since Ward practiced on Tuesday, one could assume he’s close to being back at full strength. The Texans will have three days off to recover before beginning Week 10 preparation against the Detroit Lions, which falls on Sunday Night Football and primetime.
It feels likely the window to return is more so in favor of next week rather than Week 11’s showdown on Monday Night Football. He’s missed five games this season because of the issue, but it’s a good sign that he’s nearing the end of his rehab as he returns to practice.
Jimmie Ward stats
In four starts, Ward has 17 tackles and a pass breakup. He remains a defensive backbone of Houston at free safety, but the Texans have managed to go 4-1 without him in the lineup.
Texans SAF depth chart
With Ward out, the Texans will be down one starter. Calen Bullock, a third-round pick out of USC in the 2024 NFL Draft is expected to start Thursday night opposite Eric Murray.
Here’s the rest of the defensive backs on the active roster:
- Jalen Pitre
- Myles Bryant
- M.J. Stewart
Bullock leads the Texans with three interceptions and is expected to be the long-term replacement for either Murray or Ward beginning in 2025. He could remain a full-time starter after looking promising in the starting role over the past three games.
Kickoff from MetLife Stadium is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CT.
