Somber, emotional moment: Texans tight end Brevin Jordan hurt for second year in a row, carted off field in obvious pain

HOUSTON – In a somber, emotional moment that led to coach DeMeco Ryans halting practice for several minutes, Texans veteran tight end Brevin Jordan went down on the practice field with what looks like a serious knee injury for the second year in a row.

One year after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against the Chicago Bears and missing the remainder of the season, Jordan went down to the ground in an uncomfortable position after running a route while covered by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

Although he got up initially and waved off trainers, Jordan went to the ground and began crying and sobbing loudly. He was inconsolable, in obvious pain and feeling the evident frustration of getting hurt again after working extremely hard to battle back from last year’s injury against the Chicago Bears.

Practice was halted for several minutes. Teammates, including quarterback C.J. Stroud checked on Jordan and prayed. Stroud was emotional, as were the rest of the players, including tight end Dalton Schultz.

Jordan was carted off the field through a side door with medical personnel. His loud screams could be heard from several yards away while he was inside the practice bubble and once he departed the facility.

It was a bad situation all-around for Jordan and the Texans, but practice eventually resumed inside the Methodist Training Center.

“Unfortunately, Brevin went down with an injury, we’ll continue to evaluate Brev and see where he is,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said “It’s tough for everybody to see Brevin going down knowing how much work he’s put in to get back to this point and playing football, how excited he was to get back playing football. Just praying for him to have a successful return.”

Jordan, a deeply spiritual person, leaned heavily on his faith and family while engineering a comeback from the knee injury last year.

He knew he was back for sure when he hit 21.7 miles per hour in training. That was a bit faster than the 20.03 miles per hour he reached during a 76-yard touchdown catch against the Cleveland Browns that set the tone for a 45-14 AFC wild-card playoff win during Ryans’ first season in Houston.

Now, he’s hurt again.

Even though he was hurt, Jordan signed a one-year, $2.1 million contract last season because of how strongly the team feels about him.

A former University of Miami standout, Jordan had two catches for seven yards last season and has recorded 53 career catches for 532 yards and five touchdowns.

“I think it’s just being empathetic to all the guys and knowing how much work NFL players go through, how much their bodies take and knowing the other side of it when guys are done playing and the effects it has on guys,” Ryans said. “The game, it puts a lot of guys in bad shape, so I don’t take that lightly. It’s just tough. Anytime I see guys go down, it’s tough to swallow because I know all the work these guys put in.

“Their road to recovery, I’m thinking, I’ve been on that road. I know how dark that road can be at times. It’s just constant prayer for all the guys around the NFL that go down with injuries.”

NOTE: Texans veteran tight end Irv Smith Jr., arguably the strongest blocker on the squad, has been sidelined for several practices with a finger injury, per a league source. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The current tight ends, without Jordan, include starter Dalton Schultz, top backup Cade Stover, Smith, rookie Luke Lachey and Dalton Keene. Fullback Jakob Johnson can also play fullback. No workout for free agents has been set up yet.

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com