A nagging hamstring injury kept Texans tight end Owen Daniels out of practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday.
Daniels was not on the sidelines during practice, remaining in the team training room for treatment.
"He's had a little hamstring issue for the last few weeks and aggravated it in the game, and so we're trying to do everything we can," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "(We're) really just keeping him off of it right now, and we'll see where he's at tomorrow."
Things were just starting to look up for Daniels, who tore his ACL in 2009, in recent weeks. He had his best two games of the season in Weeks 5 and 6, totaling eight catches for 124 yards, then had extra time to rest during the bye week. He caught just one pass for eight yards at Indianapolis.
"He has been battling it for a few weeks," Kubiak said. "Like I said, he aggravated it on Monday night and tried to push through it for the team, and it got worse on him when we came back after the long trip. So right now we're kind of still in the evaluation process, but obviously he hasn't even been out here, so we're trying to see where he's at."
Health improvingLinebacker Xavier Adibi also missed practice with a hamstring injury. Wide receiver Andre Johnson (ankle) and defensive end Mario Williams (hip) were limited in practice after sitting out on Wednesday.
Defensive tackle Earl Mitchell (ankle) and defensive end Jesse Nading (knee) practiced on a limited basis for the second consecutive day.
"They're getting better as the week goes on," Kubiak said. "We'll know about (Daniels and Adibi) tomorrow."
Where's Walter?Wide receiver Kevin Walter is catch-less in his last two games. The last time that happened was in December of 2006, when Walter was a backup for the Texans who wore number 85. He had a streak of 35 consecutive games with a catch snapped in Week 6.
Kubiak was asked Thursday about Walter's recent lack of involvement.
"We haven't gotten many guys involved," Kubiak said. "When you go out and you're 5-for-15 in the first half throwing the ball, not a lot of guys are touching it… Kevin's doing his job. He's playing hard and doing his job in the run game. He's one of the bigger reasons why we run the ball so well as a team."
Walter is still on pace for a productive season, with 22 catches, 266 yards and three touchdowns in seven games. He wasn't targeted against the Chiefs but had five passes thrown his way against the Colts.
"I had some opportunities to make a play last week, and I've just got to do a better job," Walter said. "It's going to come, and I'm out there to do whatever the coaches want me to do. I told the coaches that. They know I'm here to make good blocks and make plays downfield and whatever they want me to do. Whether it's covering a punt, I'm here to do whatever."
