HOUSTON – Texans veteran linebacker E.J. Speed suffered a partially torn quadriceps and partially torn quadriceps tendon that will require surgery and should allow him to return at some point this season, per league sources.
Dallas Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper, a widely renowned orthopedic surgeon, is expected to perform the procedure, per sources.
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The medical outlook for Speed is at least a three-month recovery followed by rehab and some hope he can return to play during the season with no exact timetable.
Speed got injured training in the Texans’ offseason workout program while lifting weights.
Speed, a key linebacker and special-teams contributor, signed a two-year $13 million maximum value contract rather than head to free agency after his original one-year, $5 million contract expired.
Speed emerged as an important part of the defense, recording 62 tackles, three for losses, two quarterback hits and one pass defensed in 16 games with nine starts for a playoff squad. He played 44 percent of the defensive snaps and 52 percent of the special teams snaps last season.
With Speed out on a long-term injury, the Texans will lean heavily on Pro Bowl middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o. They have Jake Hansen, Jamal Hill and Jake Hummel on the roster along with rookie draft picks Wade Woodaz and Aiden Fisher.
Speed received a $4 million signing bonus and $7.5 million of the deal is guaranteed, with base salaries of $1.75 million (fully guaranteed), another $250,000 total available through per game active roster bonuses and an additional $1.5 million in incentives.
His total first-year payout has a base value of $5.75 million and a max value of $7.5 million. In the second year, he has a $3.75 million base salary with $1.75 million of that guaranteed and identical playtime per game and incentives as this season.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com