Texans' Will Anderson: All set for divisional round
Rotowire
Anderson (ankle) does not carry an injury designation into Saturday's divisional-round matchup with the Ravens.
Anderson was either limited or unavailable for each of Houston's practice sessions this week, but he'll be ready to go for Saturday's contest with Baltimore. The rookie recorded three tackles, including a sack, in the Texans' wild-card round win over the Browns and he'll look to get to Lamar Jackson in Saturday's contest.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Returns to practice Thursday
Rotowire
Anderson (ankle) returned to practice Thursday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN reports.
Anderson was back in action Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury. The rookie first-round pick is now trending towards playing in Saturday's divisional-round clash versus Baltimore.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Doesn't practice Wednesday
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Anderson (ankle) did not practice Wednesday.
Anderson has been missing a lot of practice time over the last month-plus, but he's played each of the last three games after missing Weeks 15 and 16 with the ankle injury. The rookie played 52 percent of the defensive snaps last week against Cleveland, recording three tackles (two solo) and one sack.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Questionable for Saturday
Rotowire
Anderson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game versus the Browns.
Anderson was able to play through his ankle injury in Houston's regular-season finale, so he is likely on the 'probable' end of the questionable designation. If he can't go Saturday, Derek Barnett would be in line to start on the edge.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Doesn't practice Tuesday
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Anderson (ankle) didn't practice Tuesday.
Anderson missed Weeks 15 and 16 with the ankle injury but returned in Week 17 and ramped up his snap rate from 22 percent to 47 percent last week against the Colts. Expect Anderson to be out there Saturday against the Browns.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Efficient in win
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Anderson recorded two sacks and an additional quarterback hit in Sunday's 26-3 win over the Titans in Week 17.
Anderson, who came off a two-week absence due to an ankle injury, made the most of his 12 snaps. The rookie edge rusher now has seven sacks in 2023, with six of them coming in the last seven games played. Houston's defense made it easy for the coaching staff to limit Anderson's snap count; it produced six sacks, got off the field on 11 of 12 third-down attempts and limited Tennessee to 237 yards of total offense. Anderson should be at full throttle on the road against the Colts in Week 18, when the winner qualifies for the playoffs.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Active Sunday
Rotowire
Anderson (ankle) is active ahead of Sunday's game against the Titans, Drew Dougherty of the Texans' official site reports.
The third-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is now in line to play in Sunday's affair after beginning the Texans' week of practice with back-to-back DNPs. Anderson has started all 13 games he's appeared in for Houston in his rookie year, recording 42 total tackles, including eight tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Questionable for Week 17
Rotowire
Anderson (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's Week 17 game against the Titans.
Anderson was able to get in a limited practice Friday after logging a pair of DNPs Wednesday and Thursday. The rookie No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft, Anderson has missed the last two games. He has 5.0 sacks on the year, good for second on the Texans.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Not practicing Wednesday
Rotowire
Anderson (ankle) did not participate at practice Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Anderson has sat out the last two weeks, and now his availability for Week 17 appears to be in jeopardy too. He'll probably need to practice in some capacity Thursday or Friday to have a chance to play Sunday.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Will miss second straight week
Rotowire
Anderson (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's contest against the Browns.
It'll be the second straight game that Anderson will miss after he sustained an ankle injury against the Jets in Week 14. Derek Barnett saw his defensive snap count rise in Anderson's absence against the Titans in Week 15, and the former will likely see increased work for Week 16.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Remains sidelined Thursday
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Anderson (ankle) remained sidelined at Thursday's practice, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Anderson has yet to miss a game this season but is in danger of doing so this week, especially if he can't practice Friday. The rookie has started all 13 contests, recording 42 tackles (27 solo), including five sacks and an additional three tackles for loss, and 19 total quarterback hits on 67 percent of the defensive snaps.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Big effort in win
Rotowire
Anderson recorded five tackles including two sacks, four total quarterback hits and one pass defensed in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Broncos in Week 13.
Anderson had the type of impact game Houston expected when it selected him third overall in the 2023 Draft. The rookie edge rusher had plenty of quarterback pressures and hits coming into Sunday, but Anderson's sack total lagged. The two QB takedowns versus Denver give him 5.0 for the season.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Makes impact despite injury
Rotowire
Anderson had two tackles (both for a loss), one sack and two quarterback hits in Week 11's 21-16 win over the Cardinals.
Anderson was questionable all week with a knee injury but suited up and played 40 snaps (66 percent). The rookie edge rusher averages 45 snaps per game, so he was right at his typical workload. The sack was Anderson's second in three games and third of the season.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Tending to knee injury
Rotowire
Anderson (knee) did not participate at practice Wednesday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.
It's not clear when Anderson picked up the knee issue or how severe it might be. Houston's injury reports Thursday and Friday will shed more light on the specifics of the situation.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Shows off in preseason loss
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Anderson recorded two tackles, one for a loss, a sack and forced a fumble in Saturday's preseason loss to Miami.
Anderson popped immediately, tackling Raheem Mostert for a five-yard loss on the Dolphins' second possession. He later bulldozed De'Von Achane to sack Skylar Thompson, who fumbled but recovered the ball immediately. The rookie edge rusher, drafted third overall in 2023, has impressed during training camp and should start Week 1 against the Ravens.
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Texans' Will Anderson: Targeted by Houston in trade-up
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The Texans selected Anderson in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, third overall.
Houston is making quite a splash to kick off the 2023 NFL Draft and new head coach DeMeco Ryans' tenure, taking its quarterback of the future at No.2 overall and then trading up from 12th overall to nab Anderson. The Alabama product was a game-wrecker for the Crimson Tide with 62 career tackles for loss and 34.5 sacks, including 17.5 sacks in 15 games as a sophomore in 2021. He took home the SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in each of his last two seasons in T-Town. He checks in at 6-foot-3 and 253 pounds with long arms and impressive speed for his size (4.60 40). Look for the Texans to deploy him as a pass rusher off the edge in Ryans' scheme.
