Coming off a three-day break, the Texans are still dealing with a litany of injuries as they prepare to face the Tennessee Titans on the road in Week 13.
Outside linebacker Brooks Reed (groin) is out indefinitely. Pro Bowl cornerback Johnathan Joseph (hamstring), inside linebacker Bradie James (hamstring) and right tackle Derek Newton (right patella tendon) are day-to-day. All three starters worked with trainers on Monday and did not practice.
Running back Ben Tate (hamstring) and rookie wide receiver DeVier Posey (knee/hamstring) also worked with trainers on Monday. They are expected to practice at full-speed on Wednesday.
"We've got hopes for all of them toward the end of the week, but it's going to be a day-to-day process," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said on Monday afternoon. "I'm concerned about the health of the team right now. (We've) got some issues going on across the board with our guys."
Kubiak said Tate will probably have to start out on special teams when he returns, in part because Justin Forsett has played so well as the backup to Arian Foster. Tate has been out since Week 7 but said he views himself as having a "100 percent" chance of playing against the Titans.
"Those guys that worked with the trainers probably worked harder than the guys that practiced," Kubiak said. "The thing for me is I want to see Ben work with them, work hard, come out of it the next day and say, 'I feel good and I'm ready to go.' That hasn't taken place up until this point, but I'm expecting that to take place tomorrow and he's back on the field Wednesday."
Nose tackle Shaun Cody (ribs/back) and inside linebacker Tim Dobbins (shoulder) will be back in the lineup this weekend. Cody practiced on Monday after sitting out the last three games.
"We have a lot of guys down, so hopefully I can help out and get back in there and cause a little havoc," Cody said.
Cody's return could help the Texans' pass rush by giving the team more flexibility along the defensive line.
"We've had some issues up front," Kubiak said. "We've been playing with five guys. J.J. (Watt), Antonio (Smith), they've been playing a tremendous amount of plays. We've got to get some of those plays off of them. I think Shaun coming back helps the whole group because now Earl (Mitchell) can play some end as well as nose."
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