The Houston Texans have been taking on the attrition of training camp throughout the reserves of their offensive line, but they were dealt a blow over the weekend when right tackle Tytus Howard injured his hand.
According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, Howard had surgery on the hand, and he already has a cast on.
Coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters Monday Howard would be out “for a while.”
“Tytus, he’s still dealing with that [hand injury] and will probably be out for a while,” said Ryans. “We’ll re-address that later.”
Here is everything to know about Howard’s injury and its impact.
Recovery: 6 weeks — Likely to miss Week 1
Wilson indicates Howard could be out up to six weeks as his hand heals from the fracture and surgery.
That timetable has Howard on track to be available for the Texans’ home opener against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
Who starts Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens?
Available options
Fourth-year tackle Charlie Heck remains on the physically unable to perform list, which is why the Texans signed George Fant last week.
The Fant signing looked good as having a swing tackle is part of the hidden edge in today’s NFL. However, the rest of Houston’s tackle depth has been chipped into as they placed Greg Little on injured reserve Monday.
Injury history
The last time Howard injured his hand was in 2019, and specifically it was a finger. The rookie missed the preseason finale and Week 1, but made his NFL debut in Week 2 at NRG Stadium. The rest of Howard’s injuries have consisted of knee (2019), ankle (2020), or head (2022).