The Houston Texans signed Ed Reed without expecting him to get hip surgery. They mostly have downplayed the veteran safety's injury, although defensive coordinator Wade Phillips admitted he's a little "concerned" about Reed's availability.
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Even Reed isn't sure if he'll be back for the regular season.
"I plan on being back for Week 1," Reed told BaltimoreRavens.com after his visit to White House. "But as you've known me for the longest time, I'm going to be smart about my injuries and make sure I'm there for the later part of the season when the team really needs me."
That quote would make me a little concerned if I was a Texans fan. Reed also underwent hip surgery in May 2010, and he missed the first seven games of that season. That procedure was billed as more serious than the surgery Reed underwent this year, but it's fair to wonder about his recovery time as a 34-year-old. After all, this quote came on a day during which President Barack Obama cracked a joke about Reed's gray hair.
"He was staring at it before he picked on me," Reed said. "I was like, 'I hope he don't say nothing.' He knows where those gray hairs come from with this job here. That's the job of a safety, and the president is the ultimate safety."
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.