Texans place OT Howard on IR

The Houston Texans placed rookie offensive tackle Tytus Howard on injured reserve on Saturday due to a knee injury. Howard was previously listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots prior to Saturday's decision.

Howard missed two games earlier this season with a partially torn MCL, an injury he suffered during an Oct. 13 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The first-round pick (23rd overall) started all eight games in which he played this season. Howard played college football at Alabama State.

Houston promoted nose tackle Eddie Vanderdoes from the practice squad to fill the roster opening. Vanderdoes had 18 tackles in 16 games (13 starts) for the Oakland Raiders in 2017 but tore an ACL in the season finale and didn't play in an NFL game last season. --Field Level Media