Houston Texans Activate Derek Stingley Jr. Off Injured Reserve
HOUSTON — Saturday morning, the Houston Texans activated cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. ahead of their Week 10 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. Stingley had missed the previous seven games due to a hamstring injury he sustained during practice in September.
Before going down with the injury, Stingley was having a solid start to his sophomore season, giving up 37 yards on four catches while adding eight tackles. And according to Pro Football Focus, Stingley had a pass coverage grade of 64.0.
“We’re happy to have Stingley back out practicing,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We’ll see how his week goes and how he progresses. We’ll see, whenever he has the opportunity to get back."
Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is called for pass interference against Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Stingley's latest hamstring injury marked the second time he has dealt with the issue in his short career.
He missed the final eight games of last season due to the same injury, where he was the only rookie cornerback who did not allow a touchdown while registering 43 tackles, five pass deflections and 1.0 sacks.
With Stingley out, the Texans had to depend upon Shaquill Griffin to start in his absence. He received his first start during the Texans' Week 3 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has put together a solid season, recording 25 tackles with an overall grade of 60.6, according to Pro Football Focus.
Despite Stingley's return, the Texans may have to continue relying upon Griffin. Starting cornerback Steven Nelson is questionable against the Bengals due to a neck injury.
In addition to Nelson, Houston's defensive backfield will also be without safety Jimmie Ward, who went down with his respective hamstring injury in Sunday's comeback win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
