O’Brien on Andre Johnson: “No need to rush him back”

Andre Johnson is “doing better,” according to head coach Bill O’Brien after missing Friday’s practice with a lingering injury. After tweaking his hamstring while flattening himself for a catch, All-Pro receiver has not practiced since Sunday.

“I think that is something he and I talk about every day,” O’Brien said. “I don’t think there is a need to rush him back. I think he needs to come back when he feels ready to be back. Again, that is not a serious injury, but it is not something that you need to rush him back.”

It hasn't prevented Johnson from the team's afternoon walk through practice, where players work on corrections from morning drills and get a first look at what to expect for the following day.

After missing OTAs, Johnson is working to get himself caught up with playbook and familiarize himself with the new offense. So far, the 12-year veteran has impressed O’Brien with ability to pick up the system quickly.

“The thing that I’ve noticed right away about Andre, which I knew this from our offseason conversations, is he is a very bright guy,” O’Brien said. “He’s already got a lot of the things down. In the afternoon walk through, we walk through a lot of things with him. Routes and adjustments and signals and things lioke that., It’s been my experience with guys of that caliber, being one of the top receivers in this league, they get there for a reason. They have talent, they have great ability, they’re really great teammates and they’re smart. You can see that right away from him.”


(houstontexans.com)