HOUSTON – Texans veteran linebacker and team captain Azeez Al-Shaair was added to the injury report as questionable due to an illness heading into Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
If Al-Shaair can’t go along with linebacker Jake Hansen, who’s questionable with a painful back injury, the Texans will lean on starting linebacker Henry To’oTo’o and, likely, a combination of Neville Hewitt and Del’Shawn Phillips.
Recommended Videos
Al-Shaair has started every game and ranks second on the team to To’oTo’o with 29 tackles and has three for losses, four quarterback hits and one sack.
The Texans officially activated defensive end Dylan Horton after he returned to practice Wednesday after opening the season on the non-football illness list.
Horton worked with the second-team defense all week.
They placed veteran defensive end Jerry Hughes on injured reserve with a hip injury. Hughes, 35, has one tackle this season.
Running back J.J. Taylor, who has rushed for 21 yards on seven carries in two games, was elevated from the practice squad for the third time this season. That is the NFL limit.
Diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a rookie last season, Horton is in remission. He celebrated an important medical milestone, completing his final treatment by ringing the bell at M.D. Anderson.
“Wow, what an awesome story,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said after practice Wednesday. “For Dylan to be back after everything he has gone through, battling cancer, then to see him back on the field almost an entire year of missing football. The way he handled it and the mindset at which he handled it, he always still attacked it with a smile, he attacked it with a great attitude every single day.
“Everything he went through, I can’t say Dylan had a bad day because he never showed it and that is just proof to everyone that, no matter what we are going through, a lot of people are out here battling cancer, battling things in life, attacking it with the right mindset, a positive attitude really goes a long way and Dylan represents that. We are all very thankful and happy to have him back today.”
The Texans recognized Horton during a team meeting in the spring, drawing applause as his teammates stood behind the former fourth-round draft pick from TCU.
“Glory to God,” Horton wrote on Instagram with a video showing himself ringing the bell. “Final Treatment.”
“On December 1st, 2023, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,” Horton said in a statement in March. “Through God’s grace, I’m blessed to say that I’m currently in remission! I am grateful for the love from my family and friends, and support from the Texans organization and my doctors. My next objective is to complete my treatments, then get back to playing the game that I love. Thank you for your prayers and support as I continue this journey.”
Horton ended last season on the non-football illness reserve list.
A native of Frisco, Horton, 23, played in 10 games for the AFC South champions. He recorded 13 tackles, one for a loss and two quarterback hits.
“I was happy to have him in our team meeting this morning and highlight him,” Ryans said. “All the guys were clapping for him, and you see the support that he has, all of them. All of the guys that were around him, praying for him, pulling for him, encouraging him along the way.
“That is what life is all about. We get to do football for a living but when real life hits you as something as serious as that and to see a young man overcome it at such a young age, I couldn’t be more proud of him and what he has accomplished. To see him ring that bell was the exciting moment for everyone.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
