HOUSTON – Texans rookie cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., the third overall pick of the draft, was upgraded to full participation in practice Thursday as he continues to adapt to playing with a brace on his injured left arm.
Stingley Jr. has a brace on his arm. Texans coach Lovie Smith has repeatedly characterized the injury as a bruise.
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Regardless of the diagnosis, the first-round draft pick from LSU is on track to play Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Texans coach Lovie Smith expressed confidence after practice Wednesday that Stingley will be able to play despite the injury.
“Yeah, we said it’s a bruise and he’s in a brace,” Smith said. “We hope he can (play). Seeing him in a brace, it’s like we said before, it’s a bruise, it was a bruise. He was in a brace today to protect it a little bit. He should be good to go.”
Stingley, a former LSU consensus All-American, injured his arm Sunday in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He went back into the game and appeared to aggravate it again before leaving. His left arm was examined by the Texans’ medical staff.
Pulling on a sweatshirt after the game, Stingley emphasized that it wasn’t a big deal.
“Oh no, I feel fine,” Stingley said.
Stingley got checked out by Dr. Walter Lowe and head athletic trainer Roland Ramirez on the sideline inside the blue medical tent before going back into the game.
“He was down for a while, bruise on his arm,” Smith said Sunday. “He was able to finish, so he should be okay.”
Texans tight end Brevin Jordan, out the past two games with an ankle injury, didn’t practice along with linebacker Blake Cashman (concussion), offensive tackle Austin Deculus (ankle), defensive end Jon Greenard (ankle), and wide receiver Chris Moore (hip).
Participating fully: defensive tackle Kurt Hinish (illness), defensive tackle Maliek Collins (knee), offensive guard Kenyon Green (knee), and offensive tackle Tytus Howard (ankle).
Meanwhile, the Texans designated rookie linebacker Christian Harris (hamstring) for return from injured reserve along with veteran defensive end Mario Addison (groin) as they officially launched their 21-day practice window to be placed on the active roster. Both practiced the past two days after missing the first four games of the season for the 0-3-1 Texans. Both appeared to be moving well.
“It’s hard to say that right now,” Smith said when asked if Harris will be activated to play Sunday. “Keep in mind he’s a rookie who’s never played a game before. That process is starting. As far as this week, it’s pretty hard to say other than he’s back out on the practice field. That’s the first step.
“It’s pretty hard to say. All those training camp practices, four weeks of practice, matter. Is he behind? Absolutely. Right now he came off the injury list and we’ve had one practice. I haven’t had a chance to evaluate the video. As soon as he’s ready to go and we feel like he’s ready to function and ready to go, he’ll be out there.”
Signed to a four-year, $5.34 million contract that includes a $1.069 million contract, the third-round draft pick from Alabama turned heads at training camp with his ability to run and diagnose plays. The former blue-chip recruit from Baton Rouge, La. concluded his college career with three sacks, four tackles for losses, and a forced fumble in a loss to Georgia in the national championship game. Harris has the speed to burn (4.44 in the 40-yard dash) as a versatile sideline-to-sideline defender. “I think he probably is the fastest linebacker in the room,” Texans veteran linebacker Christian Kirksey said during training camp. “This kid can fly. He’s smart. He’s bright. He’s super athletic. When we’re in the weight room, I think that he’s like in every competition, whether it’s the vertical, speed, he’s at least top-5. This kid is super talented, young, fresh and he’s ready to learn. When you have a guy of that caliber, he’s going to go a long way. He’s going to have a great career in the league.” Harris, who aced the NFL scouting combine with a 9.05 Relative Athletic score, had 80 tackles last season, 12 1/2 for losses, and 5 1/2 sacks. The former freshman All-American and freshman All-Southeastern Conference selection had two forced fumbles and were a semifinalist for the Butkus and Lombardi awards.
“It’s been good to get him back out there,” Texans linebackers coach Miles Smith said. “Obviously, it’s a process. Being a rookie, he hasn’t played a whole lot of professional football yet at this point. Got hurt so early in training camp. It’s been exciting to see him out there. I mean the guy can move.
“Pure athleticism, I don’t think anybody in the NFL questions the type of athlete that Christian is. As he becomes more and more familiar with our defense and gets a little more experience under his belt, he has a lot of potentials. Obviously, it’s still potential at this point because he actually hasn’t gotten on the field, but we’ll see how that goes going forward.”
Addison, 35, was signed to a two-year, $7.7 million contract this offseason that included a $2 million signing bonus.
The former Buffalo Bills starter is an accomplished pass rusher who has been sidelined with a groin injury.
He missed the first four games of the season and is now eligible to return.
He had seven sacks last season for the Bills.
Addison played for Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire with the Buffalo Bills.
He has also played for the Chicago Bears, briefly, when Texans coach Lovie Smith was the coach after going undrafted in 2011 out of Troy State. He was claimed off waivers by the Colts and then played for Washington and the Carolina Panthers.
He signed a three-year, $30.45 million deal with the Bills and was due base salaries of $6.625 million over the final two years of the deal before agreeing to a pay cut.
He played in 15 games last season for the AFC East champion Bills and had 29 tackles and two forced fumbles.
Addison (6-foot-3, 260 pounds) has 67 career sacks and 281 tackles with 112 quarterback hits, 13 forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.
“Mario has played in the league for a long time,” Smith said. “Of course, he’s more advanced with being able to play quicker. We can always use him, a good pass rusher, a good defensive end, to play. He’s healthy now. The process has started. Hopefully, sooner than later, he’ll be out there.”
Aaron Wilson is a Pro Football Network reporter and a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com