The Houston Texans brought back offensive tackle Jeff Adams to the active roster on Wednesday. He replaced tackle Derek Newton, who was placed on IR today.
Newton, the team’s starting right tackle, suffered a horrific knee injury this past Monday night in a loss to the Denver Broncos. As we reported yesterday, evaluations on his knee discovered that he tore both patella tendons in his knees and there is even more damage than just that.
The injury to Newton is extremely rare and is career-threatening. Former San Diego Chargers team doctor David Chao notes that it is almost impossible to come back from this injury and play at the same level.
“I am not aware of an NFL athlete, who came back to play at a similar level after this injury,” Chao said. “The injury is very rare. It’s not a once-a-year injury. This is a once-every five years. This is harder to come back from than a torn ACL. To have two of them is devastating, but, yes, he should be walking in three months. There’s a big difference between walking and playing.”
As a result of the injury, Newton is expected to be in a wheelchair for several weeks.
With Newton now done, the Texans had a void at the tackle position and Adams was an easy choice. He started the first two games of the 2015 season for them and was a regular in the lineup last year. Oddly enough, a torn patellar tendon of his own ended his time as a starter and he did not make the team this summer.
