Texans lose another key defender on first snap vs. Bills in Week 5

Heading into their Week 5 showdown with the Buffalo Bills, the Houston Texans were already dealing with several injuries.

They sent Jerry Hughes to the IR and were without their top two running backs. Now just one play into their meeting with Buffalo and another key player has gone down.

Starting safety Jimmie Ward was involved in a tackle on the first offensive snap, taking down James Cook following a seven-yard run. There was nothing violent in the play but Ward hit his head just right and was unable to get up quickly.

Thankfully, Ward was able to get up during the commercial break and went to the blue medical tent to be evaluated.

Ward was a first-round pick for the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. He spent nine seasons with them before heading to Houston in 2023, following DeMeco Ryans who left his defensive coordinator position in San Francisco to take on the head coaching role in Houston. He was an assistant since 2017, meaning Ward has spent most of his career working with Ryans.

Jimmie Ward just returned from injury

Ward missed Week 4 with a groin injury which is an unfortunate trend. He was out for seven games in 2023 as the Texans dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout the season.

When healthy, Ward is an excellent starting safety. In 13 games for Houston, he has 65 tackles, four pass defenses, and one interception. In his career. he has 516 tackles, 48 pass defenses, and eight picks.

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