Houston Texans take a hit with Tytus Howard out for rest of season

The Houston Texans will be without rookie right tackle Tytus Howard for Week 13 against the New England Patriots and for the rest of the season.

The Houston Texans will be facing the New England Patriots without Tytus Howard at right tackle after being officially listed as doubtful since he was a limited participant through this week of practice. Howard was dealing with a knee injury since Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs when he left the game early due to a partially torn MCL that sidelined him for two games.

The Texans announced they are placing Howard on IR for the rest of the season and promoting defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes from the practice squad to take Howard’s spot.

Texans were 1-1 in a couple of games Howard missed as Houston was defeated against the Indianapolis Colts but beat the Oakland Raiders. The offensive line allowed six sacks in those two games and an average of three per game.

The Texans are likely using Roderick Johnson at right tackle and have Chris Clark on the active game-day roster as the swing tackle. The Texans training staff weren’t going to take their chances with Howard’s health after showing a lot of promise in his rookie season.

The Texans were cautious with Howard before by having him sit out the season opener against the New Orleans Saints after he dealt with a broken finger that he injured in the preseason.

Although injuries hindered him from finishing the season with the Texans, Howard showed more than enough on tape to be the answer for Houston at right tackle for the long term.