The Houston Texans are poised to make a run for the playoffs in the final six weeks of the regular season. However, they'll have to do so without one of their key pieces along the offensive line. Starting left guard Tytus Howard is set to miss the remainder of the season after suffering an injury to his left knee, according to NFL Media. Howard is set to undergo surgery to repair his knee injury, which involves his patellar tendon.
Howard suffered the injury in the middle of the Texans' Week 12 matchup with the Jaguars where they fell 24-21 and dropped to 6-5 on the season. He was able to walk gingerly off the field but was carted to the locker room after being initially evaluated in the blue medical tent on the sideline.
This is the second time this season that Howard is set to land on injured reserve. His first stint on IR revolved around a broken hand he suffered at training camp which forced him to miss the first month of the season. Upon his return, Howard played and started in every game for Houston while also logging 100% of the offensive snaps up until this latest injury.
The 27-year-old was selected by the Texans with the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Alabama State. When healthy, he's been among the more versatile linemen in the NFL. This season, Howard moved to left guard after initially serving as the team's right tackle. He has been featured along this 2023 offensive line for the Texans that has done a superb job at protecting breakout rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Back in July, Howard and the Texans agreed to a three-year, $56 million contract extension.
