The Houston Texans have been hit hard by injuries lately, hurting their chances of making the postseason.
The Texans lost standout rookie Tank Dell for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season when he suffered a fractured fibula.
Dell was one of the most impressive wideouts in the league this season despite his size, but now head coach DeMeco Ryans and the offense will need to find ways to manufacture points without him.
Making this even more difficult is C.J. Stroud’s health as he was knocked out of their Week 14 loss to the New York Jets when he hit his head and was diagnosed with a concussion.
Stroud was placed in the league’s concussion protocol and did not practice throughout the week.
Without any practices under his belt, the team announced that he did not travel with them and will be out against the Tennessee Titans via the Texans’ official Twitter account.
T George Fant (hip/illness) and QB C.J. Stroud (concussion) did not travel to Tennessee and have been downgraded to out for #HOUvsTEN.
CB Steven Nelson (wrist) has been added to the injury report and is now questionable.
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 16, 2023
This was the most likely outcome for Stroud who did not clear concussion protocol in time.
Players in the protocol have to go through a series of steps and evaluations before they’re eligible to play again, and it looks like Stroud will need at least one more week to get right.
Without Stroud, Houston is set to start veteran backup Case Keenum against Tennessee who is coming off a thrilling comeback win against the Miami Dolphins.
Keenum is a capable fill-in, but he’s nowhere near the talent Stroud is and could struggle against a Titans defense that’s shown signs of life recently.
NEXT:
Insider Reveals C.J. Stroud’s Status For Titans Game
