PALM BEACH, Fla. – One of the most talented football players on the roster, Texans linebacker Christian Harris put in grueling hours last year preparing for what he had hoped would be a breakout season.
That included training in sand pits and doing defensive back drills to further accentuate his superior athleticism.
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Despite all of his work, Harris’ season went awry.
He first injured his calf in July at training camp, there wasn’t even an inkling that a soft-tissue injury would sideline him the entire preseason as well as the first three months of the regular season.
Unfortunately, Harris had a setback as he aggravated his strained calf in August and was placed on injured reserve. He was limited to three games overall, 20 tackles and one sack one year removed from a 101-tackle, two-sack season when he started 12 of 16 games played and displayed a high-energy, aggressive style of play. When he got back on the field, Harris injured his ankle and was sidelined again.
Healthy again, Harris and the Texans are hoping for a healthy 2025 season and the production he was generating two seasons ago. Now, he’ll compete with linebackers Henry To’oTo’o and former Colts starter E.J. Speed for his role this season.
“Christian, he just has to put the work in like Christian always does,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said at the NFL owners meeting. “It’s just an unfortunate thing that happened to him last year with the injury and it just took longer than we all expected. I know it was tough on Christian mentally. He was able to battle back and get in there some, but he just missed so much time last year.
“Christian was having an outstanding offseason the prior year. I’m looking forward to him doing the exact same thing and have a great offseason, come into training camp healthy, ready to go and let’s see what it looks like and compete.”
PALM BEACH, Fla. -- #Texans updates: key takeaways from coach DeMeco Ryans at #NFLmeetings https://t.co/UfbaiM2zN6
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The speedy former third-round draft pick from Alabama worked hard to shed the rust accumulated during a lengthy convalescence.
“It was definitely tough,” Harris said last season after he returned. “It sucks for anybody. You never want to miss anytime. You put all that time in the offseason. It’s great to be back. I just kind of rolled with it. We’re on the other side of it now. That’s all that matters.”
During the time spent rehabbing his injury, Harris had to be patient and he leaned on his faith and family for strength as well as his teammates.
“Faith, for sure, family, my teammates supporting me,” Harris said. “All the time I was still in here working hard every day. They had a great plan of rehab for me.”
Harris hadn’t lost a bit of speed.
Once Harris was finally back on the field against the Miami Dolphins, his trademark athleticism was on full display along with his aggressive presence in a scheme designed to get him to the football fast.
On a blitz, he sacked Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
“Christian was was flying around,” said Ryans, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker and former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. “He’s playing fast. He’s sideline to sideline, made nice tackles, like he hadn’t missed a beat.”
Harris’ reactions and production are a plus.
“I feel pretty good after a couple of games and practices,” Harris said. “You’re back in the flow and routine.”
With 4.44 speed in the 40-yard dash, Harris is faster than many of the running backs he competes with.
Harris played defensive back in high school in Baton Rouge, La.
Although the injury took a long time to get back from, Harris’ return is timely. He recorded a career-high 101 tackles last season and returned an interception for a touchdown in a playoff victory over the Cleveland Browns. 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.
“Really proud of Christian Harris for stepping up,” Ryans said. “Long battle back from injury, but he stepped up and was able to go out and play quality football for us.”
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
