Path cleared for Fairbairn
The Texans waived kicker Joey Slye on Thursday, an indication that Ka’imi Fairbairn will kick against the Bills on Sunday and is fully recovered from the pulled muscle that kept him on the injured reserve during the regular season’s first three games.
Texans special teams coach Frank Ross said Fairbairn “looked good” Wednesday in his first full-pads practice since he was sidelined Sept. 8 with a pulled muscle, and the coaching staff was monitoring whether soreness flares would appear in the days leading up to Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Since Fairbairn has been deemed healthy, he’ll join a Texans special teams that has struggled during his absence.
Fairbairn pulled his muscle during warmups before the Aug. 28 preseason finale against the Buccaneers. The Texans subsequently signed Slye, who pushed a 41-yard field goal wide left against the Browns and missed a pointafter attempt against the Panthers.
“(Fairbairn) did a great job while Joey was taking the team reps throughout his time the first three weeks of the season,” Ross said. “Preparing on the side. Rehabbing on his own. Being a consummate professional. Did a great job with that and (I’m) excited for him to continue in progress to see if he’s ready to go this week.”
Ross said Fairbairn “cut loose” in Wednesday’s practice. He swung his leg at full strength, didn’t “hold anything back,” and, importantly, didn’t get sore afterward. If Fairbairn indeed plays against the Bills, there won’t be any restrictions on his responsibilities.
“I don’t think that you’re going to put a player out there that can’t perform to the best of his abilities,” Ross said. “Any phase or role being asked. If he’s going to go out there and be our kicker on Sunday, he’s going to be ready to kick whatever his range is. If he can kick it from 75 out, we’ll kick it from 75 out. We’re expecting him to be at full capacity if he’s out there being our kicker on Sunday.”
Corner Mitchell back at practice
Starting cornerback Terrance Mitchell returned to practice Thursday for the first time since exiting the Sept. 19 game against the Browns with a concussion. Mitchell missed Houston’s 24-9 loss to the Panthers while in concussion protocol, and, this week, he also missed two practices while also dealing with an illness.
Safety Justin Reid and linebacker Kamu GrugierHill practiced Thursday, their second straight practice in recovering from knee injuries, and their participation is a favorable development toward their possible full return against the Bills.
Reid’s contact was limited again on Thursday. Grugier-Hill returned to full speed.
“We’re hoping (to have all three back),” defensive coordinator Lovie Smith said. “(They) had a little bit of time. They’re getting better. So, we’re different without them. Those are three good football players that we need. They’ll help us. We have a whole lot more success with them out there. But they’re coming along and hopefully that’ll be the case.”
Reserve cornerback Tremon Smith and safety Lonnie Johnson started in place of Mitchell and Reid, and Grugier-Hill, who backs up Christian Kirksey, was not available to provide depth against a Carolina offense that totaled 407 yards in the trio’s collective absence.
Reid, a fourth-year veteran, leads the Texans with two interceptions and forced a fumble in the first half against the Browns.
“Justin’s one of our best defensive players. Period,” Smith said. “And his ball skills, just having him back in the secondary, of course, helps everything. Missing him took a big chunk out.”