John Metchie III cleared to participate in Texans training camp following leukemia battle

Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III has officially been cleared to practice in training camp after missing his rookie season, according to team general manager Nick Caserio.

“John’s ready to go,” Caserio said. “He had a little bit of set back there in the spring but he’s clear, he’s ready to practice.”

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 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.

Although he was one of the most electric college players of the last few years, Metchie will still have to win a starting job now that he’s cleared to play.

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.

DeMeco Ryans: Metchie ‘attacking it with a smile’

Although new Texans skipper DeMeco 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.”