HOUSTON – Texans veteran linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair went from the hospital Saturday to the football field Sunday, piling up tackles and defending Josh Allen passes in a clutch victory over the Buffalo Bills.
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It was a gritty and remarkable performance by the team captain as Al-Shaair led the Texans with eight tackles, two quarterback hits and two passes defensed in a 23-20 win at NRG Stadium.
Al-Shaair nearly intercepted two Josh Allen passes, including a deep throw intended for tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Al-Shaair told KPRC 2 he spent Saturday at the hospital, going to the emergency room with severe nausea and vomiting. He lost roughly 10 pounds and was flying around the field on Sunday. Al-Shaair was added to the injury report Saturday afternoon with a questionable status, but gutted it out to play the entire game and he excelled.
“Azeez meant everything to what we did today,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “People don’t know he was sick last night. Didn’t know if he was even going to play. For him, to be as tired as he was, for him to gut it out and play every snap, it was an outstanding performance by him. I know what he was battling. I know how hard it was for him to push through and play through that game. I’ve got so much respect for Azeez and what he accomplished today.”
A year after the Texans explored signing the hard-hitting former San Francisco 49ers linebacker, he joined the AFC South champions during the first day of the free agent legal tampering period by signing him to a three-year, $34 million contract.
Al-Shaair has 37 tackles through five games for the 4-1 Texans.
The Texans immediately targeted Al-Shaair as a key addition for their revamped front seven, reuniting him with Ryans after he coached him previously with the San Francisco 49ers.
This time, the Texans landed the former undrafted free agent from Florida Atlantic after watching him ply his aggressive trade for the Tennessee Titans last season as he finished fifth in the NFL with 163 tackles.
Al-Shaair provides a relentless sideline-to-sideline presence and fills a gap created by former Texans starting linebacker and leading tackler Blake Cashman signing with the Minnesota Vikings.
Al-Shaair had two sacks, nine tackles for losses and four pass breakups last season.
Al-Shaair, 26, signed a one-year, $5 million deal last season to join the Tennessee Titans, boosting his value significantly with one season.
A former All-Conference USA selection who went undrafted after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in college, Al-Shaair signed with the 49ers and made the 53-man roster.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
