The departure of Brandin Cooks has draft analysts calling for the Houston Texans to take a receiver in the first round, but they may have an adequate replacement on the roster.
Former 2022 second-rounder John Metchie spent his rookie season away from the team as he battled leukemia. The 5-11, 187-pound wideout’s potential remains untapped.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio joined “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] to talk about where Metchie is in his recovery.
“John has made a lot of progress,” Caserio said. “I’d say not exactly sure — call it his status — but I’d say he’s made significant progress. He’s made significant strides. I mean, he’s worked his ass off, I would say, from the time he arrived and everything that he endured during the course of the fall. Can’t say enough about John about his attitude and his approach. I mean, I don’t want to use the word ‘rare,’ but what he’s done and what he’s endured physically, I mean, honestly it’s mind blowing. It really is.”
Throughout the Texans’ offseason program last year, Metchie was rehabilitating from a torn ACL sustained in early December 2021 when Alabama played in the SEC Championship Game. The Texans were being cautious with Metchie until training camp, but he was diagnosed with leukemia before camp.
Although Metchie has yet to contribute on the field, the 22-year-old has made an impression in the organization.
“John is as good of a kid, good of a person as we have this year,” said Caserio. “He’s made significant progress. I think the spring is about making sure that a player is physically ready to go for what he’s able to do on the field. Ultimately the most important thing is for a player to be ready for training camp. So, I’d say John has definitely made a lot of progress and is in a pretty good spot, and we’ll see how much progress he can continue to make here over the course of the spring.”
New coach DeMeco Ryans said at the start of the Texans’ offseason program earlier this month that he expects Metchie to be a participant.