Jadeveon Clowney is getting back to his playing form, slowly but surely.
After an entire offseason of rehab following his December microfracture knee surgery, Clowney is anxious to rejoin his teammates on the football field and do what he loves.
Pass rush.
"One of the good signs with him is that he'll come up to us and say, 'Can I do more? I'd like to be in that drill,' because he sees the competition," head coach Bill O'Brien said. "He'd like to be in more, but we have to stick to the medical plan. I'm definitely pleased with how he's approached it so far."
The Texans 2014 No. 1 overall draft pick passed his physical and returned to practice on Monday in limited form, participating in stretching, individual position drills, and walk-through. By the end of the week, Clowney was even taking part in some team drills.
Clowney dressed for Saturday's preseason game against the Broncos but did not see action. No official return date has been announced yet but O'Brien likes the progress the second-year linebacker has made. He plans to continue to increase Clowney's workload this week.
"We'll do a little bit more with him in practice," O'Brien said. "I've been pleased with the way he has reacted and practiced with the plan that we've had for him so far. He's eager to get out there."
The Texans travel to New Orleans for their Week 3 preseason game against the Saints. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be nationally televised on FOX.
View the best game photos from the Texans-Broncos game Saturday night at NRG Stadium.
