WATCH: Texans WR Jalen Camp pays tribute to John Metchie with Crimson Crane

The Houston Texans might be playing in their first preseason game Saturday night, but they are without one of college football’s biggest stars from last season, former Alabama receiver John Metchie III. Well, the franchise is making sure they find plenty of ways to let the former Crimson Tide star they are thinking of him while he’s recovering from APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia). Texans receiver Jalen Camp went up and hauled in a beautiful fade pass from Jeff Driskel in the second quarter of their preseason matchup vs. the New Orleans Saints. After the touchdown, he decided to pay tribute to Metchie with his famous touchdown celebration, the Crimson Crane.

.@JalenCamp__ honored his @houstontexans teammate John Metchie III by doing his signature celebration. ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/Vg9o8bxI9c

— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2022

The Texans’ social media team also posted a pretty cool graphic of Camp doing the Crimson Crane, along with a picture of Metchie and Jameson Williams below it.

Check out that image below.

For Metchie 🥋 pic.twitter.com/zwqmwk5H6q

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 14, 2022

Metchie’s immediate NFL future will be on hold as he focuses on the recovery process. As a result, there is not a specific timeline for his return to football, and the Texans placed him on the active/non-football illness list.

The move will allow them to proceed without Metchie on the field, but also opens the door for a return by the rookie, if he recovers quick enough to see action this season.

John Metchie III to NFI list after leukemia diagnosis

The former Alabama star receiver has had one of the roughest roads to the professional level in the history of the sport, after being drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Metchie was already working hard to return to full strength after tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship Game last season, and his recovery was a major focus as he came back from the serious injury.

Metchie revealed that he was diagnosed with APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia) and that he was in good spirits as he began another major recovery process.

“Recently I was diagnosed with APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia), the most curable form of Leukemia,” Metchie wrote in a statement. “I am currently receiving great medical care, am in good spirits and I expect to make a recovery at a later point in time.”

The move by the Texans to place him on their active-NFI list is simply a best-practice decision for the team, so they can leave the door open for Metchie to return to the field this season. Players on the active/NFI list count towards the roster limits prior to the regular season, and if they are still on the list by the final round of roster cuts they can be placed on the reserve/NFI list — allowing them to be on the team, but not count towards the 53-man roster limit.

From there, Metchie will be ineligible for practice for the first six weeks of the regular season. After the six-week period, he could begin practicing with the team as soon as he’s ready, but cannot be activated until after the eighth game of the season.

On3’s Austin Brezina also contributed to this article.