HOUSTON – Texans starting center Scott Quessenberry suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his left knee and is expected to miss the entire season on injured reserve, according to a league source.
Quessenberry was carted off the field and his teammates came up to wish him well. His left knee was examined by trainers and was evaluated with a magnetic resonance imaging exam that determined the severity of the damage. When the injury happened, Quessenberry was screaming and in severe pain.
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One day later, Quessenberry was placed on injured reserve. The Texans signed former University of Miami offensive lineman D.J. Scaife Jr, who was previously with the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers and worked out for the team recently.
Quessenberry signed a one-year, $2.1 million contract with a maximum value of $3 million in playtime incentives this offseason after starting all but one game last season.
Quessenberry joined the Texans last year on a one-year deal, becoming the third brother to play for the Texans after David Quessenberry and Paul Quessenberry.
Quessenberry (6-foot-3, 310 pounds) started all but one game at center for the Texans last season as the replacement for veteran center Justin Britt when he was placed on the non-football illness list and he subsequently was releed and is expected to retire.
Scott Quessenberry, 27, is a former Los Angeles Chargers fifth-round draft pick who drew praise from the coaching staff for his work stepping in for Britt.
Rookie center Juice Scruggs, a second-round draft pick from Penn State, is the next man up with Quessenberry sidelined.
“What I’ve seen from Juice is I’ve seen a guy who will step in, and doing a really good job of handling a lot of different positions, playing guard, playing center,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I see a guy who is able to handle multiple things, operate efficiently inside. So, we’re pleased with where Juice is.”
Selected to the East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game, Scruggs was acquired after the Texans traded back into the second round to select him 62nd overall following a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles as they sent them their 65th, 188th and 230th overall selections to acquire Scruggs.
“I’m bringing physicality,” Scruggs said after being drafted by the Texans. “I’m bringing somebody that’s going to come off the ball every play and give everything you got, every snap. “I’m trying to be as physical as possible, trying to outbattle the guy in front of me. Whatever it takes, I’m trying to win I’m just ready to learn, ready to get dive in the playbook, get going. I’m just ready to go, can’t wait.”
Officially named Frederick Henry, Scruggs got his nickname as a child who didn’t like to drink milk. Born in Ashtabula, Ohio before attending high school at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pennsylvania, Scruggs emerged as a blue-chip recruit and state Lineman of the Year who chose the Nittany Lions over LSU, Ohio State and Michigan
Now, the Texans chose him to inject competition into the center position. Although Scruggs, a team captain and third-team All-Big Ten Conference selection has played guard, the Texans view him more as a center. The Texans drafted Scruggs after two centers were selected ahead of Scruggs with the New York Jets picking Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann and the New York Giants selected Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz.
“I think in Juice’s case, it’s probably a little more center than guard,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “But, if he had to go over there and play guard, it looks like he would be competitive. He’s a player that our staff really liked, Multi-position player, played center, more center than guard but has some position flexibility on the interior.
“Great kid, had dealt with some adversity there early on in his life. Really worked his ass off to try and get to the point where he could actually go out there and be a productive player. Great attitude, great kid, great story. Gives us some flexibility there on the interior of the offensive line, so added him to the mix.”
Scruggs (6-foot-3, 310 pounds) has overcome significant difficulty in his life.
Scruggs was in a serious car accident in 2019, fracturing his L3 vertebrae and suffering a concussion. He was in a back brace for eight months and missed the entire season. He battled his way back and got back on the field against Maryland in 2020, nearly two years after the crash and appeared in seven games as a reserve. By 2021, Scruggs was a 13-game starter and an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection.
At the time of his injury, there was legitimate concern about whether he could play football again. Scruggs was determined to get back on the field as soon as possible, and it was a long road back.
“It went through my head, at the same time, I wasn’t going to let that be the end of my career,” Scruggs said. “I just knew it was going to be a long road, and I was just ready to do whatever I needed to do get back on the field again.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.