Extra game remains sore topic for players
Normally, the NFL regular season would be over.
Normally, the Texans would be entering the offseason and all that an offseason entails.
But, for the first time, they’ll be joining the rest of the league in playing an additional 17th regular season game for the first time when they close the season at home Sunday against the Titans.
The terms between the NFL and the league’s players union were officially decided in March.
The NFL, which had interest in expanding the regular season from 16 to 18 games, settled for 17 after receiving pushback from the players, who, by just 60 votes, approved the one-game expansion so long as the preseason was reduced from four to three exhibitions and that their share of the NFL’s revenue increased from 47 percent to 48.5 percent.
Shortly after, the NFL secured new long-term media deals totaling over $100 billion with CBS, Fox, ESPN and Amazon through the 2033 season. Players will receive over $1.5 billion more than their previous terms, but many players still disagree with the regular season’s expansion due to the extra toll the violent sport will place on their bodies. Trading a regular season game for a preseason exhibition isn’t an even swap, they say, since most starters never played in the fourth exhibition.
“I don’t really see a benefit of adding a game,” said linebacker
Kamu Grugier-Hill, a six-year veteran who missed two games after suffering a minor knee injury and testing positive for COVID-19. “I thought that before, and I still think that now.”
COVID surge shows signs of waning
A surge of coronavirus cases on the Texans roster that at one point sidelined 23 total players at once is reaching its end. The franchise activated nine players from the COVID-19 reserve on Wednesday, and starting safety Justin Reid and reserve linebacker Kevin
Pierre-Louis are the only active players who remain on the list.
Reid, who started in Sunday’s loss in San Francisco, was added to the COVID reserve Monday. Players can return to action five days after testing positive so long as they’re asymptomatic, according to the NFL’s updated policies, and coach David Culley said “there’s a chance” Reid could play in the season finale against the Titans.
Pierre-Louis, who was sidelined Friday after testing positive, practiced with the team Wednesday but has not yet been activated. He practiced with limitations, much like players designated to return from the injured reserve, and is expected to return fully barring setbacks.
Starting offensive lineman
Tytus Howard was activated from the COVID reserve, along with running back David Johnson, tight end Antony Auclair, wide receivers Danny Amendola and Chris Moore, cornerback
Lonnie Johnson, defensive end Ron’Dell Carter and practice
squad fullback Paul Quessenberry. Kicker Dominik Eberle, who was signed to fill in for Ka’imi
Fairbairn against the Chargers, was activated from the COVID list and then released from the practice squad along with running back Darius Jackson. brooks.kubena@chron.com twitter.com/bkubena