Last year was not a good year to be John Metchie. The highly touted wide receiver from Alabama tore his ACL during the SEC title game, causing him to slip in the draft. The Houston Texans called his name in the second round with the knowledge that Metchie was going to be a project with massive upside.
However, while rehabbing the knee, the team discovered that Metchie had cancer. The young player sat the entire season out to work on his health, and a year later it appears all is good and he will be ready for the start of camp in August. Check this from Outkick:
The former Alabama star receiver was diagnosed last summer with a form of leukemia and his medical situation caused him to miss his entire rookie campaign. He was also rehabbing a torn ACL.
Well, he’s back now and returned to the field Wednesday for voluntary workouts with the franchise.
The expectation is John Metchie will 100% be ready to roll for week one. Texans GM Nick Caserio said in January the belief was he’d play this season, according to TMZ, and it looks like that’s exactly what will happen.
Metchie’s career hasn’t unfolded as he had planned, but the young man has kept a smile on his face and an amazingly upbeat attitude, and his hard work is finally paying off.
None too soon for a young Houston team that is starved for playmakers. Having a young, athletic guy like Metchie on the field will help, and his attitude off the filed should be an inspiration for his teammates.
This is great: #Texans WR John Metchie is back on the field for offseason workouts.
Metchie was diagnosed with a form of leukemia in July and missed his entire rookie year. Houston traded up to get him in the 2nd-round.
Looks like he’s on his way back. 🙏
(📸 @HoustonTexans) pic.twitter.com/CZURYyEHTX
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 26, 2023
Nothing can stop a positive attitude, except maybe a cancer diagnosis. Not for Metchie though.
He has put in the work and the payoff is coming, and his story should be one of the more feel-good stories of the season, even if the young team around him struggles as expected.
Several NFL players have had cancer diagnoses in the last few years, and numerous current players have actually beaten cancer and returned to the field. Eric Berry, James Connor, Trent Willams and others have returned to action, and former Raider tight end Foster Moreau is sitting out this season as he undergoes treatment.
Good news for Moreau is, he is young like Metchie and had a similar form of cancer.
Of course, cancer is never a good thing, but these young athlete and their successful recoveries might lend some much needed insight into how to best move forward with treatment for regular people.
Metchie is a fighter, and a winner even if Houston loses all 17 games. For Texan fans, it will be good to at least have something to root for. For the rest of us he is an inspirational story of what perseverance and a positive attitude can accomplish.
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