Safety Reid placed on COVID reserve
Texans safety Justin Reid was placed on the COVID-19 reserve on Monday, one of three roster moves the franchise made that directly hits depth in the secondary going into the season finale against the Titans.
Under the NFL’s new protocols adopted last week, Reid has to miss five days rather than 10 and can return for Sunday’s game at NRG Stadium if he’s healthy to play. Reid, a former 2018 third-round pick, is in the final year of his contract and has recorded 66 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
Jonathan Owens, the backup safety who’d be in line to start in place of Reid, was placed on the injured reserve along with reserve cornerback Grayland Arnold. Owens broke his wrist playing special teams and will undergo surgery that will prevent him from playing against the Titans.
The Texans could turn to Terrence Brooks, who, since Owens exited Sunday’s loss against the 49ers, played 10 defensive snaps when Reid briefly left the game late in the fourth quarter with what coach David Culley said was a minor ankle and knee injury.
Brooks, an eight-year veteran, started Week 6 against the Colts before exiting the game with a lung contusion that sidelined him for three games on the injured reserve. Brooks, who has totaled 13 tackles this season, also started in place of Reid against the Jets, when Culley benched Reid for disciplinary reasons.
Reid is now the ninth Texans player sidelined on the COVID-19 reserve. Six others are also major contributors. Starting offensive lineman Tytus Howard, slot receiver Danny Amendola, cornerback Lonnie Johnson, tight end Antony Auclair, running back David Johnson and linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis all missed Sunday’s game after testing positive. They will all be eligible to play against the Titans if they become asymptomatic and are healthy enough to play.
The NFL’s recent swath of cases mostly has been identified as the omicron variant, and, while most symptoms have been reportedly mild, multiple Texans players have said they’ve had to overcome getting their breathing right while practicing and playing.
Starting safety Eric Murray, who returned against the 49ers after missing two games on the COVID-19 reserve, detailed his experience of having tested positive twice — once last year, again this year.
“The first time I had it, I had chills and stuff like that,” Murray said. “It lasted for a really long time. I didn’t feel regular for a really long time even after I recovered, I was still having days where I didn’t feel as well. This was like months later, but this time, it kind of felt like a regular cold. I think just because I went through the experience before and I got vaccinated and I got the booster. I really was only sick for two days and then the rest of the days I was out I was recovering. Whereas last year the recovery period started way later in the process.”
While Murray’s second experience was milder, he said he still didn’t feel fully healthy when he returned to action in San Francisco.
“No, definitely my wind was an issue,” Murray said. “I came out of the game a few times. My wind was an issue, that’s just a part of it. I feel more close to normal this year than I definitely did last year. I couldn’t imagine doing what I did this week last year.”
Starting center Justin Britt, who returned against the 49ers after missing one game, said his first day “getting my lungs back” in practice “was a little gruesome,” but he felt “fine, fresh and ready to go” by kickoff. He returned to the lineup along with starting left guard Lane Taylor, who missed two games. Taylor, a nine-year veteran, said he “had some congestion and a cough” and went to the team facilities for testing after he woke up one night sweating profusely.
The NFL’s adjusted coronavirus protocols adopted the Center for Disease Control’s new quarantine guidelines that decreased the isolation time for people who test positive. The league does not mandate testing for players exiting coronavirus protocol, so long as they’re asymptomatic — a factor that relies on players to selfreport their symptoms.
“I just think you have to be responsible with it,” Taylor said. “Obviously, you don’t want to infect your team and stuff, so just knowing that you have symptoms. I came in, I tested, waited to go into the building, just trying to do the right thing so I don’t get other people sick.”