Houston concerned about injury-prone WR Andre Johnson

The Houston Texans won’t say it publicly, but they’re entering the season concerned about receiver Andre Johnson’s health.

They know their best chance to challenge for the Super Bowl is to have quarterback Matt Schaub’s favorite target in the lineup for 16 games. The problem is that Johnson hasn’t played 16 games since 2009.

Knee and hamstring injuries have limited him to a total of 20 starts over the past two seasons. Johnson turned 31 in July and missed organized team activities and minicamp because of arthroscopic knee surgery. He was 100 percent entering camp but suffered a minor groin injury that kept him out.

In the third preseason game, he came down on the point of the football and had to leave the game for X-rays on his ribs that were negative. However, he missed a couple of days of practice and sat out the preseason finale. He ended up playing about one full game in preseason.

What frustrates the team the most is that Johnson still is outstanding—when he plays. He averaged 19.4 yards on four catches in preseason.

There’s no doubt Johnson still can be one of the league’s top receivers when he’s on the field, and his health remains the single most important issue for a team hoping to reach its first Super Bowl.


(sportingnews.com)