HOUSTON – Texans left offensive guard Tytus Howard was carted off the field with a left knee injury that appears to be serious. He was ruled out of the remainder of the game Sunday in a 24-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He walked gingerly off the field with assistance from trainers, went to the blue medical tent for further examination and then headed inside the locker room on a cart.
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Howard will undergo magnetic resonance imaging exams and other tests Monday morning to determine the severity of his injury with some hope that he has avoided more serious knee issues, per league sources. Howard was able to walk without crutches or a large brace after the game.
Howard, a 2019 first-round draft pick from Alabama State who was on injured reserve earlier this season with a badly broken hand that required surgery, was replaced by rookie Juice Scruggs with Michael Deiter remaining in at center.
Howard broke his hand Aug. 5 during training camp days after signing a three-year, $56 million contract extension.
This marked Scruggs’ NFL regular-season debut after being activated from injured reserve Saturday. The second-round draft pick from Penn State appeared to hold up well in his first action.
“It felt good being out there, definitely not he way we wanted to end it,” Scruggs said. “Felt good being out there for sure, getting in the rhythm of things, but we needed to come out with a W for sure. I just knew I was next man up. I was preparing like a starter. I just knew when my number was called I was going to be ready. Credit to the guys in front of me like Tytus, Deiter, Shaq (Mason), keeping me in the loop and keeping me prepared for the plays and everything.”
Scruggs played some guard at Penn State, but the former All-Big Ten Conference selection is viewed primarily as a center by the Texans.
“Definitely, it’s a little different,” Scruggs said. “At the end of the day, it’s football. No matter where you’re at on the line, it’s football. Just go out there and play. I did all right, definitely room for improvement. On the ground way too much, but you see next week I’ll be better and we’ll be better.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.