The road to Juice Scruggs' first NFL game was longer than he may have expected.
After being sidelined for the first 10 games of the season due to a hamstring injury, Scruggs was elevated off of injured reserve for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
When Tytus Howard went down with an injury at the end of the first quarter, the 2023 NFL Draft second round pick was called on to step up on the offensive line and went on to clock playing time the rest of the game.
It was Scruggs' first NFL game as a Houston Texan.
"I did alright, definitely room for improvement for sure," Scruggs said. "On the ground way too much. You'll see next week I'll be better. We'll be better."
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans added: "Juice, I thought he stepped in, he did a good job of being ready to go."
Towards the end of the preseason, when Scruggs got injured in the final preseason game against New Orleans, he felt like he was getting the different schemes down and defensive looks down.
Despite being sidelined with the injury, Scruggs never stopped working. He never stopped grinding like he was starting the next week.
"When I got set back, nothing changed," Scruggs said. "I was still in the playbook, still watching film like I was a starter."
View the best photos from the Week 12 matchup between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
