Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson might be close to returning from a strained right hamstring, but he's not close enough. Texans coach Gary Kubiak said Friday that Johnson won't make his return in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to the team.
Kubiak told reporters Thursday a decision would be made on Johnson on Friday if the receiver wasn't able to practice. It's a similar scenario to last week, when the Texansexpected Johnson to play against the Cleveland Browns before he suffered a setback and was ruled out on the Friday before the game.
Kubiak has been pointing toward Johnson's progress for several weeks, and said he fully expects the four-time All-Pro to return after the team's Week 11 bye.
Johnson will miss his sixth consecutive game because of the injury he suffered on Oct. 2. He told reporters Thursday he was close to full speed -- a prerequisite to being able to play in a game -- but wouldn't commit to making a return.
"Everything's been going very positive, so I'm pretty excited about that," Johnson said Thursday. "We'll come out and run again tomorrow, see how it feels, just make sure that I'm comfortable and we'll go from there."
The Texans have been cautious with Johnson, and Friday's decision means they will be for at least another couple of weeks.
The Texans listed two other starters as questionable on Friday: Offensive tackle Winston Justice (back) and defensive end Antonio Smith (shoulder).
For a complete look at all injuries around the league, go to NFL.com's injury page.
