The season is over before it began for rookie Louis Nix.
The Texans have placed the third-round defensive lineman on injured-reserve, the team announced Wednesday.
Nix was inactive for the team's first three regular-season tilts. The former Notre Dame star underwent a scope on his left knee before training camp and never found his way back onto the field.
It's a disappointing loss after the Texans traded back into the third round to pick up Nix as a hopeful plug-and-play interior force for a defense already sporting J.J. Watt and rookie pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
With Nix out of the picture, the Texans have signed 34-year-old Ryan Pickett to backup Jerrell Powe at the nose tackle position in Romeo Crennel's 3-4 defense.
A former Packers mainstay, Pickett started all 16 games for Green Bay last season, but the veteran provides little more than emergency padding for a Houston defense that expected much more out of its third-round pick.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps all of the Week 3 action and picks the top team in the AFC.