Houston WR Johnson Won’t Return Against Jaguars

Johnson returned to practice this week and the Texans had hoped he would be able to play. He made progress, but Johnson said Friday that he would sit out another week.

“I don’t feel like I’m ready to play,” he said. “I’m not at full speed yet. I said I wouldn’t put myself out there until I’m able to run full speed.”

He was injured on Oct. 2 against Pittsburgh and had a minor procedure to repair the right hamstring injury early that next week.

Coach Gary Kubiak said it was difficult to make the decision to keep him out another game, but that it’s better to get him completely healthy than to rush him back and have problems later in the season.

Johnson said there isn’t anything specific he can do to speed the process, but that he simply has to continue working with trainers to improve.

“I just have to keep maintaining the rehab and keep pushing myself,” he said. “It gets frustrating because every week a game goes by that you wish you could be out there, but it’s just part of the process. I’ll just keep working hard at what I’m doing and hopefully next week I can get back on the field.”

The Texans (4-3) lost to Oakland and Baltimore in their first two games without Johnson, before bouncing back with a 41-7 win over AFC South rival Tennessee to take the division lead behind a 115-yard rushing and 119-yard receiving day by Arian Foster.

Foster’s 287 yards receiving in the last three games have led the team with Johnson out. Kevin Walter has added 168 yards and Jacoby Jones has 112 yards receiving in that span.

Johnson said he’s probably about 70 to 75 percent recovered and that it wouldn’t be smart for him to return if he isn’t close to 100 percent.

“Who wants to go out on the field and see a half speed Andre Johnson? That’s not a good thing,” he said. “You will be out there hurting your team and you could have somebody out there who could go out there and give it all they’ve got and make plays for you.”

Johnson isn’t in any pain, but said that he isn’t feeling like he did before the injury yet.

“It’s just tugging, but that’s part of it,” he said. “Those things are going to happen when you have procedures done. You just have to get used to getting back to doing things that you normally do. It’s just part of the process and I’ll just keep working on it and trying to get better.”

He had 25 receptions for 352 yards and two touchdowns in Houston’s first four games.