Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is finally healthy enough to practice, and head coach Bill O’Brien is pleased with the second-year player’s progress through a few sessions.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, O’Brien explained that the team is steadily increasing Clowney’s workload each practice. O’Brien said:
“We do a little bit more each day with him, and so far, so good. I think it’s been three days in a row now which is good, and do a little bit more tomorrow, and then we’ll evaluate him at the end of the week. But so far, so good.”
Clowney missed offseason action while rehabbing from microfracture surgery, which affected and prematurely ended his rookie campaign.
Fortunately for the Texans, Clowney didn’t waste the time he lost due to injury and instead focused on mental preparation, learning the intricacies of the defense. O’Brien continued:
“And the one thing about him is, he’s a bright football player. He’s come out here and he understands the scheme, he knows what we’re talking about, so he’s been paying attention in the meetings that he’s been in and now it’s just more of a matter of getting into football shape.”
Houston should be thrilled at the prospect of Clowney lining up alongside reigning Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and free-agent signing Vince Wilfork. The Texans might not score very often, but the defense will normally provide the team’s yet-to-be-named starting quarterback a chance to steal a victory against most opponents.
Though Clowney likely isn’t prepared to handle a full complement of first-string reps, daily progress is paramount to the former No. 1 overall pick impacting Houston throughout the 2015 season.