Texans' John Metchie Found 'Perspective' During Cancer Journey

Houston Texans receiver John Metchie noticed that "there's a lot bigger things in life" than football while recovering from cancer diagnosis.

After being selected with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Houston Texans receiver John Metchie hoped to make an immediate impact on the team, despite tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship game a few months before.

However, on July 24, just days before training camp, Metchie was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, sidelining him for his entire rookie campaign. Even though this form of leukemia is the most curable, it was unknown at the time if the former Alabama standout would ever see the field on Sundays.

Nevertheless, Metchie has relentlessly worked his way back to the gridiron and is "good to go" for the season. But after all, he's been through, he revealed that football isn't the most important thing in his life.

"Although it's fun and it's what I dreamt of as a kid, there's a lot of bigger things in life and there are a lot of people facing real battles every day and have really bad days," Metchie said after Saturday's preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins. "I guess perspective is the thing I walked away with."

Metchie explained that his darkest times during the cancer journey were when he made that realization.

"On days where it is hard or seems like bad days, I remember quite easily that there are a lot of bigger things in life than this game that we get to play for a living," Metchie said.

Metchie hauled in 96 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns during his final year at Alabama, finishing in the top 10 among SEC receivers in each category. 

While it may be extremely difficult to replicate these stellar numbers in his first season playing, Metchie's heroic ability to defy the odds makes anything possible.

---

You can follow Hunter De Siver on Twitter @HunterDeSiver

Want the latest in breaking and insider news for the Houston Texans? Click Here

Follow Texans Daily on Twitter and Facebook

Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @LockedOnTexans today! Click here To Listen.

Want even more Houston Texans news? Check out the SI.com team page here.