Texans OT Suffered Ankle Injury vs. Panthers

The Houston Texans saw a starting offensive lineman go down with an ankle injury in their second preseason game of the year vs. the Carolina Panthers.

According to KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, Texans offensive tackle Blake Fisher suffered a "milder" sprained ankle on Saturday vs. the Panthers, with an unknown timetable for return.

While his return to replay remains up in the air, considering Fisher's injury being on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of seriousness, the sprain might not be anything that limits his status for Week 1 when the Texans travel to face the Los Angeles Rams.

Fisher was the Texans' 59th-overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and enters his second year in the league eyeing a big opportunity to become the primary swing tackle on this roster as a result of Houston's set of offensive line changes done throughout the offseason.

During the Texans' eventual preseason win vs. the Panthers, Fisher started at right tackle while rookie Aireontae Ersery manned the left side, not allowing any pressures during the 25 snaps he played. In that timeframe, Fisher had a 78.1 pass blocking grade and a 54.1 run blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus, a vast jump of 30 points in each grade compared to his outing vs. the Vikings.

Dec 15, 2024; Houston Texans offensive tackle Blake Fisher (57) runs onto the field before the game against the Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Texans have already had to deal with an injury to projected starting left tackle Cam Robinson, keeping him out of the first two preseason games, and allowing Fisher the route to start and Ersery to shift to the left side, but now the injury bug strikes again.

Fisher falls in line with a relatively unlucky Texans preseason when it comes to injuries. Names like Joe Mixon, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jaylen Reed, Jimmie Ward, and Brevin Jordan have all suffered from their respective bumps to derail the start of their season (or in Jordan's case, his entire 2025 campaign), all weeks away from Week 1's kickoff.

It remains to be seen if Fisher will be ready to go vs. the Rams next month, but in the meantime, it certainly bears monitoring.

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