Texans veteran wide receiver Robert Woods is not slated to play against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday due to a foot injury, according to league sources.
Woods has missed four consecutive practices and was in a walking boot previously.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is also set to miss this game, per sources.
The Texans later officially ruled out both players as well as tight end Brevin Jordan due to a foot injury.
Rankins is making steady progress with his knee, per a league source, and he is expected to make a relatively speedy return to playing again.
The Texans have Maliek Collins as their top healthy defensive tackle for Sunday with Kurt Hinish working in tandem with him. Hassan Ridgeway returned to practice from injured reserve with a calf injury and is eligible to be activated anytime between now and Saturday afternoon. Ridgeway is listed as questionable, but participated fully and is trending toward being active for the game.
Woods has caught 22 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown on 23 targets this season.
Nico Collins is in the midst of a career breakthrough season with 29 catches for 547 yards and three touchdowns on 42 targets and is expected to be the primary target for standout rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Rookie wide receiver Tank Dell, who has caught 19 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns on 28 targets, is back from a concussion and expected to have a solid role in his first game back Sunday.
Woods was signed this offseason to a two-year, $15.25 million contract that includes $10 million in full guarantees and a maximum value of $17 million.
Woods was released by the Tennessee Titans recently. He was previously with the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.
A former Buffalo Bills second-round pick from USC, Woods caught 53 passes for 527 yards and two touchdowns last season for the Tennessee Titans. He has 645 career catches for 7,831 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil practiced for the third day in a row on a limited basis and the team is using the same offensive line configuration with Tytus Howard at left guard, Jarrett Patterson at center, Shaq Mason at right guard and George Fant at right tackle.
Howard is questionable with a knee injury, but participated fully Friday and is expected currently to play Sunday. Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson is questionable with a foot injury.
On Thursday, the following players participated fully: Dell, linebacker Blake Cashman (wrist), offensive lineman Josh Jones (hand), linebacker Denzel Perryman (hand), wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson (foot) and nickel Tavierre Thomas (hand).
Howard (knee, hand) was limited Thursday along with Jordan (foot), Ridgeway (calf), Tunsil and Rankins.
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790
Photo: Bob Levey / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
Dameon Pierce confident in Texans’ running game outlook ‘so close,’ while adapting to new offense, committee approach
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Stonewalled and stuffed frequently after punishing tacklers as a rookie a year ago, Texans running back Dameon Pierce has gained perspective while battling through a difficult start as he adapts to an altogether different offense.
Pierce is still adjusting to Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s version of the West Coast offense that features a zone-running system after excelling in a straightforward, quick-hitting offense last season under former offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.
The Texans have shifted to more of a committee approach in recent games with Pierce and Devin Singletary splitting up carries. And there have been gradual signs of improvement, including more success running the football in wins over the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers. Overall, though, the results have been disappointing as the Texans are ranked 25th in rushing offense with an average of 88.8 rushing yards per game, 28th in touchdown runs and 31st in yards per average with a cumulative 3.2 average per run.
Pierce is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry in rushing for 281 yards and one touchdown on 97 carries through six games heading into Sunday’s game against the winless Carolina Panthers and their porous 31st-ranked run defense that’s giving up 144.3 rushing yards per game.
Pierce is on pace to rush for 796 yards and three touchdowns after rushing for 939 yards as a rookie and earning the NFL Angry Run of the Year for his epic punishing run against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“New offense, so it’s really like another rookie year for me,” Pierce said Friday inside the Texans’ locker room. “Complete overhaul from top to bottom. Completely new identity, whole new philosophy, just trying to find out how I can make plays within the system
“At the end of the day, we’re a lot more detailed than last year, two different offenses. It comes from the 49ers, those guys got a winning tradition, those guys know how to win, they know exactly how to run the ball. They know exactly what they want, they know how they want it.”
Pierce rushed for a season-high 81 yards against the Steelers, but rushed for 31 yards apiece against the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars, 66 yards against the Atlanta Falcons and 34 yards on 13 carries against the Saints. Meanwhile, Singletary rushed for a season-high 58 yards on 12 carries and a 4.8 average against the Saints. Slowik indicated Thursday that the backfield by committee is expected to continue.
“We really believe in a running back by committee,” Slowik said. “We really want to make sure everyone touches the ball, but we want guys to be fast, fresh every time they touch it and I think last game against New Orleans was probably the best we did in that regard as far as making sure we had a share in the load right there.”
Pierce indicated that he feels “amazing” and refreshed physically and mentally after a bye week.
And he anticipates improvement after studying the first six games intensely.
“I learned that we are literally so close in the run game, bro,” Pierce said. “I’m so hard on myself. I’ll be trying to fix it: ‘Coach, what can I do?’ and coach says, ‘It’s a collective effort.’ The running game, it takes everybody. Got to be on it from top to bottom. We made great strides going into the bye week.”
As for the Panthers, although they have standout defenders in edge Brian Burns and defensive tackle Derrick Brown, they’ve allowed 866 rushing yards and a league-high 12 touchdown runs.
“They’re 0-6, but their record doesn’t reflect the way they play,” Pierce said. “They play hard. They kind of remind me of us last year. I’m pretty sure they’re motivated and not trying to let us get a win at their house. It’s going to be a challenge, but I feel like we’re up for it.”
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans saw progress against New Orleans. Now, he wants to build on that growth.
“With the running game, I felt like just having the complement of both, I felt like Devin and DP they did a really good job of getting what they had,” Ryans said. “They ran the ball hard. They finished their runs. I think just having that complement of both guys, it all starts, of course, with our offensive line.
“I thought they’ve done a really good job of blocking it, and guys ran the ball hard, they ran the ball well, and we were effective that way, and we have to continue to improve in that run game as much as we can, and that’s where want to see ourselves improve in this next game and moving forward.”
Pierce is the Texans’ leader in rushing yardage followed by Singletary’s 153 yards on 39 carries. Third-string back Mike Boone has rushed for 15 yards on two carries, including an 11-yard run against the Saints.
Change is afoot with the Texans. Most of it has been positive. The running game, though, has taken a step backward.
“It’s a big culture change in the right direction,” Pierce said. “Still, it takes time to adjust. It’s a different feeling in the locker room. We’re welcoming that change. It’s just all about adapting to it and getting comfortable with it, me included.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790
Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images