Rookie LB Christian Harris will have to wait at least four games before making his NFL debut. The Houston Texans placed the third-round draft pick (75th overall) on the Reserve/Injured list Thursday.
"He's not as close," Head Coach Lovie Smith said. "Hamstrings can be tricky. He's making a lot of progress but he's not there yet."
The hamstring injury sidelined Harris early in training camp and kept him out of practices and preseason action. According to the new league rules, a player designated to return is eligible to return to practice or the active/inactive list after four games have elapsed since being placed on the reserve list. Teams are permitted to return eight players from the IR list or reserve/non-football injury/illness list in 2022.
In OTAs, Harris earned praise for his athleticism and quickly earned playing time with the first-team defense. The former Alabama standout had a game-high and career-best 4.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and tied for a team-high seven tackles in the CFP National Championship against Georgia in January.
The Texans will open their 2022 regular season against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 11. Kickoff from NRG Stadium is set for noon CT on CBS and SportsRadio 610.
