Jadeveon Clowney might be back in Houston's lineup a little sooner than expected.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft was sidelined by arthroscopic knee surgery after the season opener and was given a four-to-six week timetable to return, with many expecting Clowney to take all six weeks.
At the five-week mark, though, Texans coach Bill O'Brien sees him as a toss-up to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday.
"He's progressing," O'Brien said via the Texans' website. "He's working really hard to get back and I would say it's 50-50. Yeah, I think we have a long time here to get ready for Pittsburgh, longer than normal so hopefully, that bodes well for him being ready to go but I can't guarantee you that he'll be here for Pittsburgh."
While erring on the side of caution with quite possibly the best athlete we've seen come out of the draft in a decade seems like the right approach, Houston is desperate for a win after twoconsecutive losses. For the moment, they're still hanging around in a ho-hum AFC South and Clowney would certainly be a game-changer.
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