Texans' Bill O'Brien on Clowney's return vs. Steelers: 'It’s 50/50'
Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said that rookie linebacker Jadeveon Clowney is progressing on his knee injury recovery and remains a 50/50 possibility to play in Monday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Clowney, the 2014 No. 1 overall draft pick, tore the meniscus in his right knee in the second quarter of his first regular season NFL game against the Washington Redskins on Sept. 7. He had arthroscopic surgery a day later.
He was originally supposed to miss 4-6 weeks and could start practicing this week.
“He’s progressing,” O’Brien said on Texans Radio. “He’s working really hard to get back and I would say it’s 50/50. Yeah, I think we have a long time here to get ready for Pittsburgh, longer than normal so hopefully, that bodes well for him being ready to go but I can’t guarantee you that he’ll be here for Pittsburgh.”
If Clowney continues to be sidelined, Whitney Mercilus will again get the start. Mercilus has 19 total tackles this season for Houston (3-3).
“He’s playing better,” O’Brien said of Mercilus. “He’s getting better and better. He works really hard so he’s the type of guy you root for to get better because of how much time he puts in."
- Scooby Axson
