Bill O'Brien has kept in touch with Andre Johnson, still a no-show for Texans offseason practice.
"Yeah, I've spoken to him and I've text messaged with him," O'Brien said on Tuesday when asked about communication with the seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
On Tuesday, Johnson missed his first mandatory practice of the offseason after missing voluntary minicamp and OTAs.
The Texans head coach doesn't view Johnson's absence as a distraction to the team, saying that minicamp is "all about the guys that are here." Still, O'Brien is optimistic that a veteran like Johnson will be able to come and learn the system based on his 11 years of experience in the NFL.
"He has played a lot of football," O'Brien said. "He is a guy that has been in different systems, like I said a few weeks ago, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and what he has done in this league. I believe that based on the different systems that he has been in that he would be able to pick up on our system. He's a a very bright guy that has done a lot in this league. So, I think he'd be able to figure it out."
