Offensive tackle Derek Newton started all 68 games in which he appeared for the Houston Texans from 2012-16. He was seen as a stabilizing force along the offensive line during this span.
That all came to a crashing halt during a Monday Night Football Game against the Denver Broncos in October of 2016. Newton suffered torn patellar tendons in both knees and has not played a single snap since.
Newton was released by the Texans on Thursday. He’s also now reportedly filing a grievance against the team following said release.
Offensive tackle Derek Newton was informed today by the Texans he is being cut, league source confirms. Newton will file a grievance, source says. This came as a major surprise to Newton who was told when he came in for rehab session. Rehab has been progressing well
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 12, 2018
Despite missing the past season and a half to injury, Newton’s rehab was said to be going well. Houston had decided to keep him on the roster while he was going through said rehab, which has been pretty intense in and of itself.
“He’s a hardworking guy that, I mean, that guy’s been in there every single day at 6 a.m. five days a week,” Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said back in March, via the team’s official website. “He probably comes in on the weekends on his own. I would say he’s probably not able to do a bunch of field work – he can rehab-wise, but not in team periods and things like that.”
Previous reports noted that Newton had to learn to walk all over again prior to even continuing to get himself back into football shape.
It remains to be seen what the details of the grievance are, but it’s readily apparent that Newton and his camp are not happy by the release. The move saved Houston just $1.5 million against this year’s cap.