Houston Texans make roster move with John Metchie III following leukemia announcement

The Texans announced their official roster decision following the heartbreaking announcement from John Metchie III that he has leukemia. With Metchie being diagnosed with APL, a form of Leukemia, his immediate NFL future will be on hold while he focuses on recovery. As a result, there is not a specific timeline for his return to football and the Texans have placed him on the active/non-football illness list.

The move will allow them to proceed without Metchie on the field, but also opens the door for a return by the rookie if he recovers quick enough to see action this season.

We placed John Metchie III on the active/non-football illness list.

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) July 24, 2022

John Metchie III to NFI list after leukemia diagnosis

The former Alabama star receiver has had one of the roughest roads to the professional level in the history of the sport after being drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Metchie was already working hard to return to full strength after tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship Game last season, and his recovery was a major focus as he came back from the serious injury.

On Sunday, Metchie revealed that he was diagnosed with APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia) and that he was in good spirits as he began another major recovery process.

“Recently I was diagnosed with APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia), the most curable form of Leukemia,” Metchie wrote in a statement. “I am currently receiving great medical care, am in good spirits and I expect to make a recovery at a later point in time.”

The move by the Texans to place him on their active-NFI list is simply a best-practice decision for the team so they can leave the door open for Metchie to return to the field this season. Players on the active/NFI list count towards the roster limits prior to the regular season, and if they are still on the list by the final round of roster cuts they can be placed on the reserve/NFI list — allowing them to be on the team but not count towards the 53-man roster limit.

From there, Metchie will be ineligible for practice for the first six weeks of the regular season. After the six week period, he could begin practicing with the team as soon as he is ready, but cannot be activated until after the eighth game of the season.