Texans LT Duane Brown to be active for first time since holdout

Veteran Houston Texans left tackle Duane Brown will be activated for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. It’s going to be the first action the 10th-year player will see this season, as he returned this week following an extended holdout over his contract.

Speaking on Friday, head coach Bill O’Brien noted the big thing for Brown will be conditioning.

“The big thing is conditioning,” coach Bill O’Brien said Friday, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “He passed our conditioning test, which isn’t easy to do, and he looks to be in great condition. He’s a special player. I think it’s really in his mind, where does he feel like he’s at? He hasn’t played football in a while. How does he feel about where he’s at from a technique standpoint?”

If ever there was a good weekend for Brown to make his return, it’s this one, from a football standpoint at least. Houston will be in Seattle for a date with the famed Legion of Boom, which has been ramping its efforts up of late and is tied for first place in scoring defense, allowing just 15.7 per game.

Brown also picked an interesting week from a non-football point of view, too. He and the entire Texans football team reportedly had to be convinced not to leave team facilities following the report of a highly inflammatory statement made by team owner Bob McNair. A statement that did cause DeAndre Hopkins to take what’s been called a “personal day.”

Hopefully for the team’s sake, all that frustration doesn’t derail Houston’s on-field product. The Texans are 0.5 games behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans for the lead in the AFC South heading into Week 8 with a record of 3-3.