Texans linebacker Mario Williams suffered a torn pectoral muscle last Sunday against the Raiders. He was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. On Friday, he underwent surgery to repair the injury.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Williams will spend the next three-to-four months rehabilitating the muscle. That means he’ll be back at 100 percent in January or February.
By late February, the Texans will have to decide whether to use the franchise tag on Williams, if he isn’t signed to a long-term deal by the team before then.
In five games at outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense, Williams showed that he can play in that alignment or at defensive end in the 4-3, which should make him attractive to more teams. It’s not believed that the injury will impact his value.
That said, his value surely would have been higher if, for example, he had been playing in January and bagging multiple sacks in postseason games. Still, Williams will likely set a new high-water mark for defensive players, of/when he hits the open market.
