The Texans announced today that rookie linebacker Brennan Scarlett has returned to practice and been designated as the club’s injured reserve/return player. Houston now has three weeks to place Scarlett on the active roster, or else he will remain on IR for the remainder of the season.
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Scarlett, an undrafted free agent out of Stanford, played in five of the Texans’ first six games this year before being placed on IR, posting 29 defensive snaps, 63 special teams snaps, and one tackle during his brief stay on the Houston roster. As John McClain of the Houston Chronicle details, Scarlett was one of the Texans’ best pass rushers during the preseason, and Houston coaches are high on him thanks to his “size and aggressiveness.”
The Texans have a lengthy list of players on injured reserve, but Scarlett’s designation as the club’s return player means they’ll all be staying put on IR for the rest of the year. J.J. Watt, Braxton Miller, Jaelen Strong, Derek Newton, Kevin Johnson, Nick Martin, Devon Still, and others won’t see the field again until 2017.