Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien won’t give specifics, but indicates receiver Keke Coutee may have an opportunity to play against the New Orleans Saints Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to kick off the regular season.
Coutee sustained an ankle injury in the first preseason game at the Green Bay Packers that knocked him out of the entire exhibition slate. The Texans have been cautious with the second-year wideout from Texas Tech.
“I’d say that’s touch and go,” O’Brien told reporters Friday when talking about Coutee’s availability versus the Saints. “He practiced yesterday. He definitely practiced yesterday, so we’ll see how it goes today. There’s a possibility. He did some decent things in practice yesterday. We’ll have to see how it goes today and tomorrow.”
Coutee has been listed as having limited participation in Thursday and Friday’s practices.
The former 2018 fourth-round pick played in six games for the Texans last season as he was plagued with hamstring issues going back to the tail end of the first week of that season’s training camp in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. The Texans are practicing due diligence to ensure they don’t have a repeat and lose playing time from a valuable option who set the NFL record for most catches in a first career game with 11.
“I think it’s a long season, and that was a pretty significant injury to his ankle,” O’Brien said. “So, I think that we just have to do a good job — maybe that’s a workout before the game, that type of deal.”
The Texans have a viable backup to Coutee in DeAndre Carter if the former is unable to go. It would be the second consecutive season that the Lufin Panther missed Opening Day. If Coutee is able to play, it gives quarterback Deshaun Watson a dangerous receiving corps that already has All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins at No. 1 and speedy Will Fuller at No. 2.
