Following the Texans second preseason game, head coach Bill O'Brien gave the latest on player injuries.
Offensive Line
Last week in joint practice against the Saints, rookie center Nick Martin suffered an ankle injury which is still being evaluated by team doctors and trainers, according to O'Brien.
"I think any time you have an injury whether it's ankle or knee, I think you probably do have to wait for swelling to go down before you can really make a judgment," O'Brien said Sunday.
The offensive line had four of its five starters out for Saturday's 16-9 win over the Saints. Three are recovering from injuries, with the exception of right guard Jeff Allen who had an excused absence for a death in the family.
Starting tackles Duane Brown and Derek Newton have not played in the preseason. Brown is working his way back from quadriceps surgery following the end of the 2015 regular season. Newton left the first day of training camp on a cart with an injury and has not practiced since. O'Brien listed him as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
"Derek Newton's making progress, not sure when he's going to be back but he is making progress," O'Brien said. "Duane Brown is making progress also. He won't be back this week but he's definitely making progress."
Kickers
Both kickers, veteran Nick Novak and rookie Ka'imi Fairbairn, are both battling injuries. Novak, who was 3-of-3 in the preseason game against New Orleans, suffered a concussion while making a tackle on the final kickoff of the game. Fairbairn, who successfully kicked a field goal and extra point in the first preseason game against the 49ers, did not play.
"Nick Novak is in the concussion protocol," O'Brien said. "Suffered a concussion at the end of the game last night on the last kickoff so he's in that protocol. We'll see how that goes day-to-day here. Fairbairn has a quad injury. It's not serious but it is a day-to-day deal that he's going to be dealing with."
Alfred Blue
Running back Alfred Blue is expected to return this week. Blue was recovering from a shoulder injury since the team's joint practice with the 49ers.
J.J. Watt
J.J. Watt is still recovering from back surgery and will not return this week. O'Brien did not confirm when Watt is expected back but did say the three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year was "making a lot of progress with his rehab."
The Texans will host the Arizona Cardinals in their third preseason game on Sunday, Aug. 28. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CT and will be nationally televised on FOX.
Check out the best photos throughout #TexansGameday vs. the Saints.
