DeMeco Ryans announces WR John Metchie III is 'on the right path' to participate in training camp

One of college football’s most electric wide receivers in recent memory is finally nearing his NFL debut. On Tuesday, Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters that 2022 draftee John Metchie III is “on the right path” to participating with the rest of his team, per Aaron Wilson.

Metchie missed the entire 2022 season after receiving a diagnosis of Leukemia after the draft and though he’s now clear for play on that front, a hamstring injury set him back this offseason. According to Ryans, the goal for the former Alabama standout is full participation for training camp in July.

Between now and training camp, the Texans have no-contact OTA practices, followed by mandatory minicamp.

Metchie’s 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.

Texans miss Metchie, Schultz, more at OTAs

Wilson also shared on Tuesday that Metchie is one of several players not currently participating in OTAs. Others with injuries include defensive lineman Thomas Booker (groin), linebacker Denzel Perryman (shoulder) and defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway (hamstring).

As the OTAs are voluntary, there were a few more Texans not present on Tuesday. Veteran left tackle Laremy Tunsil, cornerback Steven Nelson, tight end Dalton Schultz, and tackle Greg Little were on that list.

Once Metchie gets back to his old ways, he’ll be catching passes from a brand new Texans quarterback. Houston grabbed former Ohio State star C.J. Stroud. Ryans has been very pleased with what he’s seen from his rookie QB so far.

“He’s been doing an excellent job over the past two days,” Ryans said.

Like Stroud, Metchie will have to win a starting job once he returns to the field. In his last year at Alabama, he had 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns before Houston selected him No. 44 overall. They went for him despite a torn ACL very late in the season. Although Ryans wasn’t the head coach when the Texans drafted him, he is already liking what he brings to the table.

“When you talk about a guy like John Metchie, just hearing his story and meeting him in person, it marries up,” Ryans said last month. “Outstanding young man off the field. Great energy. Always around. Every time I seen him in the building, huge smile on his face.

“No matter what adversity he’s faced, he’s attacking it with a smile, with the right attitude. It just solidifies the type of person that he is and the type of people and the type of players that we want to add to our team, it’s guys with that type of attitude.”