Texans' Jadeveon Clowney Injury Update Heading Into Regular Season

The Houston Texans have seen a few injuries creep up around their roster in the days ahead of the kickoff to their regular season.

One of those injuries has been seen by Texans veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who the team signed earlier in training camp to a one-year, $5.5 million deal, yet he suffered a reported soft tissue injury during Houston's second preseason game of the year against the Las Vegas Raiders that's kept him sidelined since.

And to this point, the state of Clowney's recovery has been relatively quiet.

While it's expected to have been a minor injury that he suffered in that preseason outing, the Texans are now 10 days away from Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. So any setbacks or absences from Clowney at practice are certainly worth noting until he's deemed ready to go, because any hiccups could bleed into his regular season availability.

The Latest on Jadeveon Clowney's Injury Status

The good news for the Texans is that Clowney appears to be on the right track to be ready to go for the regular season.

According to KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, while Clowney has been recovering from that minor soft-tissue injury he suffered during the preseason, he's expected to be ready to play against the Bills next weekend.

#Texans three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is doing well after sustaining minor soft-tissue hip injury during #Raiders preseason game and is expected to be ready for #Bills game, per a league source. Has also dealt with mild ankle issue, not serious. pic.twitter.com/wFnR3vdKLU
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 1, 2026

Per Wilson, Clowney has also been dealing with a lingering ankle injury in the days leading up to the start of the regular season. But it also isn't expected to be any serious issue that forces him out for an extended time.

The developments aren't anything that wasn't to be expected of Clowney's recovery, knowing that the injury wasn't anything too severe. But hearing that he's expected to take the field in a few days’ time without much concern is a big weight off of the Texans' shoulders.

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) talks with defensive end coach Rod Wright on the sidelines as the Texans play against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Of course, Clowney isn't in position to be a starter on the Texans' edge attack because those duties will be handed to the star duo of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter.

However, having a steady veteran presence like Clowney able to fill in as a rotational piece and third edge rusher behind both of those elite names can be what takes this already-elite defense line to the next level.

Last season when Clowney was with the Dallas Cowboys, he played in just 13 games throughout the season to log an impressive 41 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 8.5 total sacks; his third time in the last five seasons logging over eight sacks throughout the season.

Clowney also only appeared in 44% of the defensive snaps for games he played in with the Cowboys, showing he can be an impactful, productive player without being a focal point of the front seven.

Now entering his age 34 season, Clowney will be looking to bring a similar impact to Houston this season that he did to Dallas in 2025. But this time, it'll be with the franchise he’s had his NFL career started with as the first-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

And to get his 14th year started off on the right foot, being available and ready to go for Week 1 would be a strong start.

Time will tell what Clowney's recovery will continue to look like as the Texans get closer to next week's matchup against the Bills. But at the very least, things seem to be trending in the right direction to see him on the field for his long-awaited return to Houston.

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