Texans get two key players back from IR

After designating the two players to return from injured reserve this week, the Texans have announced that they have officially activated offensive tackle Tytus Howard and punter Cameron Johnston from IR. After starting the regular season on the injured list, both players are reportedly ready to make their 2023 debuts.

Howard missed the first four games of the season due to a training camp hand injury that required surgery to fix breaks in two places. He’s been a full-time starter for Houston since getting drafted in the first round in 2019, missing games here and there due to various injuries. To date, he’s started in 54 of a possible 70 games. He’ll look to step in for George Fant across from Laremy Tunsil this week.

Johnston, likewise, has missed time due to a preseason injury after pulling a calf muscle in late-August. Ty Zentner, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas State, had been fulfilling the punting duties in Johnston’s absence before being waived early in the week.

Additionally, the Texans announced that they have released defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth from their practice squad. The move was necessary after the team released defensive end Derek Rivers from the active roster Friday and signed him to the practice squad.

Finally, with this weekend’s contest in Atlanta coming up, the team announced that they will be calling up cornerback D’Angelo Ross and linebacker Garret Wallow as standard game-day elevations from the practice squad for Sunday. Ross will be seeing his first action since making an appearance in the 2021-22 playoffs for the Patriots. This will also be Wallow’s first game of the season, as well, after starting five games over his first two years in the league.