Texans coach DeMeco Ryans: ‘Nobody works on their craft harder’ than John Metchie

Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie touched the ball just four times on Saturday in the team’s win against the Cleveland Browns but his impact was significant. He amassed 44 yards receiving and nine yards rushing as the team put the hurt on the Browns to the tune of a 45-14 final score. The former second-rounder’s career hasn’t gone as he’d expected but his performance in the Wild Card game and beyond this season had head coach DeMeco Ryans singing his praises post-game.

“Metchie’s had up and downs through the season, had some opportunities to make plays and some moments he made them and some he didn’t but what a moment for him this past game to come up with a couple of big catches there,” Ryans said.

“Really proud of him for his journey and all that he’s been through. No one’s been through it tougher than him and for him to show the resolve and to continue to push and fight to get better at his craft, day in and day out, nobody works on their craft harder than Metchie. It’s good to see the success come from it in our first playoff game.”

Metchie missed the entire 2022 season after receiving a diagnosis of Leukemia after the draft. Though he was initially cleared for play on that front this offseason, a hamstring injury set him back leading up to training camp.

Metchie’s cancer diagnosis, which came last July, revealed he had APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia), which is a form of Leukemia with the highest rates of long-term survival. After finding out about his condition, the second-rounder spent a month and a half in in-patient treatment. He followed that up with several months of outpatient chemotherapy.

This season, the former Crimson Tide star had 16 catches for 158 yards in the regular season. He’s still on the hunt for his first NFL score but it could come next weekend against either Baltimore or Kansas City.

During his last season at Alabama in 2021, Metchie had 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns, before Houston selected him No. 44 overall. They drafted him despite a torn ACL very late in the 2021 season.

Texans place Noah Brown on IR

The Houston Texans announced that they are moving wide receiver Noah Brown to injured reserve this week, effectively ending his 2023 season. The former Dallas Cowboys wideout is in his first year with the team after leaving DFW for Houston as a free agent.

He posted a career-high 567 yards this season in just 10 games for the Texans after a groin injury kept him out to start the year and a shoulder injury now prevents him from finishing it. His squad surprised the Cleveland Browns on the road in the Wild Card round with a 45-14 victory. Brown had one target before exiting the game.

Brown, a former seventh-round draft pick, posted 43 receptions for 555 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. He’s in his seventh year in the NFL and he spent the previous six with the Cowboys.