Texans Share Update on Metchie’s Cancer Battle

The Houston Texans got a special player when they drafted John Metchie III in the second round after his three seasons at Alabama. Unfortunately, something no one could have seen coming sidelined him for the entirety of his rookie campaign and the feeble Texan offense stumbled to a 3-13-1 record, securing them this year's second overall pick.

Metchie was diagnosed with cancer back in July of 2022. Specifically, he was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, which is widely regarded to be the most curable form of leukemia.

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Now, Texans general manager Nick Caserio says the hope of Metchie making a full recovery is very close to being a reality. While no hard date of a return to action was given, Caserio floated the idea that he may be ready to go as early as spring conditioning.

Metchie has mostly made a full recovery and has not lost a bit of his speed and talent that made him such a great contributor in Nick Saban's program. In fact, Caserio thinks his physical abilities have only improved.

"John was in there every Friday kind of going through his workout and he actually looks better now than he did when we drafted him in the spring," Caserio said on SportsRadio 610 in Houston. "He's improved his strength, his lower body strength. His attitude has been great, even though he's been dealing with a lot of things medically. But quite frankly, you wouldn't know. This kid is incredible. He's a special kid."

In his three seasons in Tuscaloosa, Metchie amassed 2,081 yards and 14 touchdowns on 155 receptions. Metchie played with three of the better quarterbacks in Alabama history, catching balls from Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and Bryce Young.