As the Houston Texans look to kick off their 2021 regular season on Sunday, Marcus Cannon also has a big week, according to Head Coach David Culley.
"He looked healthy," Culley said Monday. "He's not ready yet in terms of the workload and that's why this week will be very important."
The tenth-year veteran offensive lineman returned to practice last week after spending all of Training Camp presented by Xfinity and preseason on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. This week, Cannon will practice again although, Culley said he was "not really sure yet" if that meant he could start in Week 1.
"He will practice and we will see how much he can do," Culley said.
During camp, Cannon was often working on the side field with trainers. Without getting reps on the field, the 33-year-old Cannon used the extra time to get acquainted with the new offense.
"I was able to take a lot more notes and watch a lot more film," Cannon said. "I had a lot more time to familiarize myself with the playbook in my own time. How Training Camp goes, you come in, you have your meetings and then those guys go out. It's time for them to practice, they've got to get ready for practice. They're tired, they want to rest and go to sleep. I just had extra time. I couldn't do a lot of the physical stuff they were doing, but I definitely got a lot more time for myself to learn the playbook, learn the technique, learn the calls and just figure out everything I could that wasn't physical."
On Monday, the team placed Charlie Heck on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Heck started all three preseason games at right tackle for the Texans and was one of the most improved players in camp this year, according to Culley.
Last year, Tytus Howard started all 14 games he played in at right tackle. This year, he has been working at left guard where he started his first game as a rookie in 2019.
If Cannon can handle a full workload in practice, he could also be a potential solution if Heck can't play.
"I really don't want to put a percentage on it," Cannon said of his recovery. "Really just taking it day-by-day trying to get better as fast as I can and do whatever I can to help this team."
The Texans open the 2021 regular season against Jacksonville at NRG Stadium on Sept. 12. Kickoff is set for noon on CBS and SportsRadio 610. For tickets, click here.
