John Metchie III was robbed of his rookie season by a frightening diagnosis, but an astounding comeback appears to be afoot.
Diagnosed with leukemia in July of last year, Metchie has a shot at returning to the Houston Texans for their offseason program in the spring, general manager Nick Caserio said Wednesday.
"I'd say there's a chance that he'll be ready for the start of the offseason program," Caserio said on the Payne and Pendergast SportsRadio 610 show, via the team website. "I think there are still some things that he has to complete or go through. Quite frankly, it's amazing what he's done to this point."
Caserio did not establish a specific timeline, but an early spring return would coincide with the Texans' opening of offseason condition.
A 6-foot, 195-pound wide receiver out of Alabama, Metchie was selected with the 44th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but the second-rounder never saw the field as a rookie.
He announced on July 24, 2022 that he was diagnosed with APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia), which is the most curable form of Leukemia. Thus far, it would appear Metchie is taking on his road to recovery at full speed.
"John was in there every Friday kind of going through his workout and he actually looks better now than he did when we drafted him in the spring," Caserio said, via SportsRadio 610. "He's improved his strength, his lower body strength. His attitude has been great, even though he's been dealing with a lot of things medically. But quite frankly, you wouldn't know. This kid is incredible. He's a special kid.
"So, does that mean he's going to be able to walk out there and catch 100 passes? No, I'm not saying that. But it's been amazing to watch his progression from when we brought him in, kind of to what he went through over the summer, what he did during the course of the fall and it's really a tremendous credit to him. It speaks to who he is as a person and I think it's emblematic of the type of people we have in this building."
In the aftermath of a dreary Texans 2022 season, there is reason for optimism off and on the field for the franchise.
"He'll probably have some modifications," Caserio said. "I don't know exactly what that looks like. But at some point, assuming everything goes OK, then I think he'll have an opportunity to participate fully, assuming everything gets cleared."
