According to KPRC 2 Texans Insider Aaron Wilson, the Houston Texans have just placed their highly-touted second rounder in defensive tackle Kayden McDonald on the Injured Reserve list due to an ankle injury. The move sidelines him for the next four games, with him being eligible to return against the Tennessee Titans in week five at the earliest.
In his place comes newly-signed defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy, who was just on the Green Bay Packers practice squad. As a whole, the defensive tackle room now looks like:
- Sheldon Rankins
- Tommy Togiai
- Logan Hall
- Mario Edwards Jr.
- Jaden Crumedy
- Junior Tafuna
This continues a recent stretch of terrible injury circumstances for Houston, as they've had to contend with losses of players like tackles Braden Smith and Sam Hagen, wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Tank Dell, and defensive ends Dylan Horton, Solomon Byrd and Ali Gaye.
Fortunately, the injury to McDonald hasn't cost him his entire season (at the moment), so the hope for a productive return is still intact.
The Houston Texans are looking forward to having Kayden McDonald back for week five and beyond
One of the benefits of an early IR stint for McDonald is that the Texans will be getting a fully healthy mountain of a man in McDonald back in week five who would be four weeks-rested and hungry to make an impact immediately upon return. It also would allow the former Ohio State defender to continue to learn and get mental reps from the sidelines without the pressures of having to perform at the highest level as the year gets started.
It will definitely come in handy, as McDonald was projected to vaccum up space as a gap eater and run stopper with his 6-foot-3, 326-pound frame. Along with All-Pro teammates like Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter and the returning Jadeveon Clowney to team up with in certain play packages, he could take advantage of multiple offensive lines that would have to concede the fact that they just can't block every single weapon in Houston's arsenal at any given moment.
While McDonald's injury is disappointing, there's still hope at the end of the tunnel for those looking forward to his eventual debut. In the meantime, head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke will have to make the proper adjustments in order to ensure that McDonald's absence won't be an anchor for the team. It helps that McDonald was pegged as just a rotational piece to start off.
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