HOUSTON – Pure speed. Instinctive. Hard-hitting.
Texans linebacker Christian Harris lives up to the definition of mobile, agile and hostile as an aggressive presence in a scheme designed to get him to the football fast.
Recommended Videos
One year after a breakthrough season, Harris is poised to make his debut from a strained calf he first suffered in July then aggravated in August. Harris is set to be activated from injured reserve-designated for return Saturday after participating fully Friday and experiencing no setbacks all week in what’s been described as an impressive performance in drills, according to league sources.
The Texans later made this move official and elevated tight end Irv Smith Jr.
Harris is one of the fastest linebackers in the NFL with 4.44 speed in the 40-yard dash, making him superior in terms of speed to most running backs and some wide receivers.
The Texans are likely to limit Harris’ snaps a bit Sunday against the Miami Dolphins since he’s been out so long. He is listed as questionable on the injury report.
He is officially listed as questionable on the injury report, as is offensive guard Kenyon Green, who wasn’t activated from injured reserve-designated for return after starting his 21-day practice window this week.
“Yeah, it’s awesome,” said Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who played in college with Harris at Alabama. “Me and Christian have been playing for a long time together. To have him back by my side, it’s fun. I know he’s been itching to get back. I said just wait until Sunday. He’s been great. He’s had a great week of practice and I can’t wait to see him ball.”
'It's awesome. To have him back by my side, it's fun. I know he's been itching to get back. He's had a great week of practicd and I can't wait to see him ball' #Texans Will Anderson Jr., on return Sunday of linebacker Christian Harris @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/AFAWBPJouB
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 13, 2024
Harris recorded a career-high 101 tackles last season and returned an interception for a touchdown in a playoff victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Harris is coming off his best NFL season. He became the seventh player in NFL history to record a pick-six for a touchdown and record a sack in the same playoff game since retired Texans defensive end J.J. Watt did so against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012. Harris had eight tackles, two for losses against the Browns. He had seven more tackles one for a loss and repeatedly pressured Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson in an AFC divisional round playoff loss.
“Having Christian back, just having his presence back has really been helpful for everyone,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Everybody is excited to see him just back out on the field, his energy. Everybody understands his playmaking abilities, sideline-to-sideline. Christian, he’s an explosive player, dynamic player for us. So, it’s encouraging to see him back.
“He’s had a long road, hasn’t played football in a long time, so it’ll be a process of getting him back rolling. But it’s encouraging to see a guy who’s been out for such a long time dealing with a significant injury that’s taken a long time to heal. And first and foremost, just proud of the work that he’s put in to make it back even at this point in the season. So, we’ll see where he ends up towards the end of the week, but he’s doing really good.”
#Texans linebacker Christian Harris first practice back from calf strain that sidelined him first 13 games of season and is moving well @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/zeb2HWHvCj
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 11, 2024
The timing of Harris’ return coincides with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair beginning the first game of his three-game suspension for his controversial, concussion-causing tackle on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“I think it is huge,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “I am really just happy for him that I have seen the hard work he put in. Every time I am in the training room he is in the training room working hard and you never want to see a recurring injury like that.
“So, for him to be able to come back after so long and still have a positive attitude is just amazing to me and I actually look up to him in a lot of ways. Just his mentality of how he approaches the game and how he practices on anything that he does he does it to his full ability. I am excited to see him go out there and ball.”
NOTES: The Texans officially ruled out left offensive guard Juice Scruggs due to a foot injury and is out for two to three weeks, per league sources.
Texans defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi returns from a foot injury that kept him out three games. He has no injury designation and will play Sunday along with defensive end Denico Autry (knee), who has no injury designation.
Texans guard Nick Broeker (hand) and linebacker Jamal Hill (knee) are questionable, but both participated fully Friday.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
