Houston Texans: Charles Omenihu out vs. Carolina Panthers hurts defense

The Houston Texans will be without their young defensive end as they work to gain their third win of the 2019 season.

Houston Texans rookie defensive end Charles Omenihu has been ruled inactive vs. the Carolina Panthers in their Week 4 game with a knee injury that has hampered him this week.

Omenihu has went from being limited all week in practice to questionable, and now he’s out, which does hamper the defense of the Texans this week.

Thus far in his rookie campaign, Omenihu has three tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. His best game this season came in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he had two combined tackles, one sack and a forced fumble.

Last week against the Los Angeles Chargers, Omenihu recorded one tackle in a 27-20 win by the Texans. The reason Omenihu’s injury hurts the defense isn’t for his overall numbers, but it takes away a game that he could have continued to learn on the job in a big game for Houston.

The Texans could use Omenihu to help take pressure off pass rushers defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus. That said, the day will go on and the Texans will have to make the proper adjustments in Week 4 without Omenihu.

Below are the remaining players who are listed as inactive this week against the Panthers:

Besides not having Seantrel Henderson for depth at offensive tackle, the rest of the inactives aren’t a huge loss for the team this week. The rest of the players are quarterback Alex McGough, cornerback Xavier Crawford, inside linebacker Tyrell Adams, tight end Logan Paulsen, and tight end Jerell Adams.

Below are the inactives for the Panthers this week:

Week 4 should be an exciting game for both teams, though the inactives of the Panthers seem to stand out a little more than those of the Texans with Cam Newton out, and Donte Jackson out at cornerback as well.