Through the first five weeks of regular season action, the Houston Texans have faced a handful of noteworthy injuries on both sides of the ball to leave them a bit depleted in one way or another.
On the offensive end, we've seen the likes of Nico Collins, Ed Ingram, and most recently, David Montgomery due to miss some time. Defensively, Jadeveon Clowney, Kayden McDonald, and now Jalen Pitre have been struck by the injury bug as well .
However, in the case of one recently-injured name on the defensive side, there's a good chance his return to the field sits right around the corner: that's starting linebacker Henry To'oTo'o .
Texans general manager Nick Caserio r ecently had an interview with 95.7 The Fan before the team's Wednesday practice where he noted that To'oTo'o will have his 21-day practice window activated from injured reserve.
To'oTo'o has been out of the Texans' lineup since he went down with a shoulder injury in their Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills. That injury would end up shifting him to the injured reserve for at least four weeks, and leave him sidelined until Week 6, at a minimum.
And upon the announcement of the injury when it first happened, there was an expectation that To'oTo'o could be out longer than that four-week stretch on injured reserve. KPRC2 's Aaron Wilson had reported the issue could take "a few months" to fully recover from.
But with the news surrounding his practice window now opening, there's a good chance we'll be able to see To'oTo'o on the field sooner than that expected timeline.
Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Henry To'oto'o arrives for the team's minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
To'oTo'o has remained a key fixture of the Texans' linebacker room when healthy, starting a total of 36 games throughout his four years in the building.
Throughout the 2025 season, To'oTo'o put together a solid season, recording 95 tackles, nine TFLs, 2.5 sacks, and four passes defended. That year was able to net him a two-year extension before the 2026 campaign started, and will keep him in the mix until 2028.
The Texans activating To'oTo'o's practice window doesn't mean he's set to return this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It only means that the veteran linebacker is one step closer to his return to the field, which is due to be at some point over the next three games.
After the Texans' Week 6 date against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London , they head back home for Week 7 against the New York Giants, then have a bye in Week 8 before facing the LA Chargers on the road right after.
Any of those games are technically in play for To'oTo'o to be activated for, depending on how well he does in practice across the next 21 days. If he's able to practice in full for consecutive days, then that could be a hint that his return is pretty imminent.
However, based on the placement of the Texans' bye week, there's a good chance that Houston opts to keep him sidelined for the next two weeks, ensuring he's 100% with a full week of rest during the bye, to then get him ready to go against the Chargers in Week 9.
Regardless, how he performs in practice, and the capacity that he's able to participate in, will be a huge indicator of what to expect for his timeline to get back on the field.
But overall, things seem to be trending in the right direction to see To'oTo'o back out there next to Azeez Al-Shaair as Houston's starting weak-side linebacker in the near future.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as Texans Injury Update Hints Key Defensive Starter Is Nearing a Return .
