DETROIT – Christian Harris was finally back in his element: hustling to the football, instinctively reacting to make tackles with aggressiveness and athleticism.
On Saturday, Harris, after navigating a difficult rehab process for a calf injury he called frustrating, got to enjoy himself again on the football field. He shed the rust he accumulated during a lengthy convalescence and recorded two tackles in a 26-7 preseason win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Recommended Videos
“It’s night and day, man,” Harris said. “It’s a blessing to be out here, put the pads on, be with the guys. It was nice to be here.”
One of the most talented football players on the roster, the Texans linebacker 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. Despite all of his work, Harris’ season went awry.
The former Alabama standout and third-round draft pick 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. However, Harris had a setback as he aggravated his strained calf in August and was placed on injured reserve. Although he returned to action late in the season, he injured his ankle and missed the entire offseason.
The reason it took so long for Harris to get back on the field: being sure he wouldn’t hurt it again.
DETROIT -- Reporting from #Texans #Lions preseason finale at Ford Field, a win, and the healthy return of Christian Harris, Dameon Piercs and Foley Fatukasi @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/ju3osofdPM
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 24, 2025
“More so not trying to let it happen again,” Harris said. “It’s a tricky situation, having a calf. You know, whenever you feel like you’re all the way back, sometimes it’s not really the case. You gotta make sure you check everything.”
He was limited to three games overall, 20 tackles and one sack one year removed from a 101-tackle, two-sack season during which 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.
Harris and the Texans are hoping for a healthy 2025 season and the production he was generating two seasons ago that included an interception return for a touchdown as coach DeMeco Ryans advised him where Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco was going to throw the football in an AFC wild-card playoff win.
“I mean obviously, I want to do that as many times as possible,” Harris said. “To your point with the question earlier about the consistency piece, precision, just doing that as much as possible."
With 4.44 speed in the 40-yard dash, Harris is faster than many of the running backs he competes against.
Harris played defensive back in high school in Baton Rouge, La.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans expressed confidence previously that the team can get Harris ready for the regular season. Now, that has come to fruition through a focused plan for return to play for Harris and running back Dameon Pierce.
“I feel like guys need to have those live reps, especially when you come back from injury,” Ryans said. “That mental hurdle when you come back from injury is you have to hit the ground, you have to get up, dust yourself off and know like, ‘I’m OK, I’m back.’
“Before you take that step, instill in your mind, instilling plays in your mind, ‘Are you all the way healthy? Are you all the way back?’ That was the importance of today for Christian and for Dameon is to get them some live reps and they took advantage of it and they did a good job with it.”
Harris and Pierce, back from a strained quadriceps, leaned on each other for moral support, encouraging each other in the training room and on the practice field as they worked through their respective injuries.
“Tough process, we were there for each other throughout it all,” Harris said. “So, keep stacking, brick by brick, we did it by that motto.”
Playing for Ryans, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker and former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year with the Texans and a fellow former Alabama standout, is gratifying to Harris. So is a play-fast, run-and-hit defensive scheme engineered by Ryans.
“It’s about speed and physicality,” Harris said. “We all love ball.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com