This week, voluntary minicamp began for the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. One of these sessions received some extra juice with the return of a special player, and that is Texans wide receiver John Metchie III.
Metchie was diagnosed with APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia) last summer, and missed his entire rookie season. According to MedlinePlus.gov, APL is a cancer of the blood-forming tissues that "leads to a shortage of normal white and red blood cells and platelets in the body." It occurs in approximately 1 in 250,000 people in the United States.
Metchie has done well in recovery, however, and the Texans posted a picture of him catching a pass on the practice field Tuesday. New Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said earlier this month that Metchie would be "involved" with the offseason program, and sure enough, he was on the field Day 1.
"Yeah, John is doing fine," Ryans said, via Pro Football Talk. "We'll see John get involved with our offseason program. And with John, as with every other player, we're going to take it one day at a time and see where he can grow and where he can be when the time comes. At the right time, when the season comes, we'll see where he is."
Metchie was selected with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Alabama. In his final season with the Crimson Tide back in 2021, he caught 96 passes for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games played. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL in the SEC Championship game that season.
