Battle Red Blog
Quarterback CJ Stroud and safety Jalen Pitre, while remaining in concussion protocol, were participants in Wednesday’s practice. Stroud was a full participant Wednesday while Pitre practiced in a limited capacity. Take a look at the full injury report here:
CJ Stroud being a full participant in Wednesday’s practice enforces the expectation that he will be medically cleared for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, per DJ Bien-Aime and Aaron Wilson:
DeMeco Ryans spoke to the media after practice on Wednesday, as well, adding that “As things stand today, [CJ Stroud and Jalen Pitre] are still in concussion protocol:
Pitre being only a limited participant makes his return a little less likely as Stroud’s, but he is still in the cards for Sunday. Both players would be massive boons to their respective sides of the ball, if they are to be available. It’s unfortunate that neither have cleared protocol is, but, if you’re curious exactly how the “concussion protocol” works, former Texan and current analyst Seth Payne covered the issue on his YouTube channel earlier this week:
To paraphrase Seth, there are two phases to the concussion protocol. First, there is the “identification” stage of the “NFL Game Day Concussion Diagnosis and Management” protocol, wherein which a player from the field is placed in the concussion protocol when a concussion is suspected, taken off the field, and given a variety of tests to determine the likelihood on if they have one, and the severity of the injury. Once a player has entered the concussion protocol, they enter the second phase: the “return to participation” protocol. At this point, the player is removed from the field and from participating in football activities until the five stages in the return to participation protocol are completed. Pitre and Stroud are both respectively in stage five of this protocol.
If you’d like more information on the NFL’s concussion protocol or the return-to-participation protocol, click here.
So, even though both remain in the concussion protocol, it is encouraging news indeed to see that both CJ Stroud and Jalen Pitre have entered stage five of the return process and are practicing. Texans fans can expect Stroud to be back, but Pitre will remain a slightly less sure candidate to return until he logs full participation in practice.
