Houston wide receiver Christian Kirk is not ready to make his debut for the Texans.
Kirk is dealing with a hamstring injury and will not play on Sunday against the Rams, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
It’s possible that Kirk could miss more time with what is currently being described as a two-week injury. Early-season hamstring injuries can often linger if players don’t get enough time to heal, so the Texans probably won’t be in a rush to get back on the field.
Kirk arrived in Houston from Jacksonville in a trade in March. He’s expected to be a starter this year, but he will start the year sidelined.
The Texans remained short a pair of wide receivers at Thursday’s practice.
Reporters at the workout noted that neither Christian Kirk nor Braxton Berrios were on the field. Both players were out on Wednesday due to hamstring injuries as well, so they’re questionable to play against the Rams at the very least.
If they can’t go, the Texans will likely have big roles for both second-round pick Jayden Higgins and third-round pick Jaylin Noel alongside Nico Collins. Xavier Hutchinson and Justin Watson are the other wideouts in Houston.
Tackle Cam Robinson returned to practice after sitting out on Wednesday due to an illness. The Texans will issue their final injury designations for the week on Friday.
The Texans were missing two of their receivers at practice Wednesday.
Christian Kirk (hamstring) and Braxton Berrios (hamstring) did not practice.
Both players arrived in Houston in the offseason, and both are coming off injuries that ended their 2024 season prematurely. Kirk broke his collarbone after eight games with the Jaguars, and Berrios tore his ACL after six games with the Dolphins.
The Texans also practiced without offensive tackle Cam Robinson (illness).
Offensive tackle Blake Fisher (ankle) was limited.
The Texans open the season Sunday against the Rams.
Matthew Stafford is going to be starting at quarterback against the Texans on Sunday and he said on Wednesday that his back won’t be on his mind when he hits the field.
Stafford missed the first chunk of training camp with an aggravated disc in his back, but has been practicing without any issues for the last couple of weeks. He said on Wednesday that he won’t be altering anything about his game due to concerns about further injury.
“Oh, I’m going to go play the game,” Stafford said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com. “Whatever happens, happens. I’m playing like I always play. I got no issues with a physical game. Obviously, would love to stay as clean as possible, but I’m not thinking twice about that at all. I’m out there ready to go play.”
The Rams are hopeful that left tackle Alaric Jackson will be able to play after dealing with blood clots and strong work from the offensive line would go a long way toward making sure that the physicality of Sunday’s game doesn’t result in any kind of relapse that will hamper Stafford in the weeks and months to come.
The Texans have three returning captains for the 2025 season.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud, edge rusher Will Anderson, and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair were announced as three of the team’s five captains on Wednesday. Stroud has been a team captain in all three of his NFL seasons while it is the second time for the two defensive players.
Wide receiver Nico Collins and running back/special teamer Dare Ogunbowale are the team’s other two captains this season.
The Texans had safety Jimmie Ward as a captain for the last two seasons, but he is currently on paid leave after being arrested this offseason.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs and tackle Laremy Tunsil were also named captains before the 2024 season, but Diggs is now in New England while Tunsil was traded to Washington. Running back Joe Mixon was named a captain in November and is currently on the non-football injury list.
