The Texans still don’t know if right tackle Derek Newton will be able to play again at his previous level. But they know he’s working diligently toward that goal.
Newton’s been out since rupturing the patellar tendons in both knees in Week Six of 2016, but Texans coach Bill O’Brien said he’s been impressed with what he’s seen so far.
“I would say he’s on schedule, but I wouldn’t say that he’d be able to a ton of things this spring,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said, via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “Nobody’s worked harder than Derek Newton to try to get back to where he is.
“He’s a very hardworking guy. The guy’s been in there every single day at 6 a.m. five days a week. He probably comes in on the weekends on his own. I would say he’s probably not [going to be] able to do a bunch of field work. He can, rehab-wise, but not in team periods and things like that.”
The Texans offseason program begins April 16, though it appears training camp would be a better barometer of his progress. And honestly, anything they get out of Newton would probably be a bonus, after such a traumatic injury.