The Texans have placed offensive tackle Charlie Heck on the reserve COVID-19 list, the team announced Monday afternoon.
Heck is entering his second NFL season after being drafted by Houston in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
He played sparingly toward the end of his rookie season and was expected to start at right tackle for the Texans in 2021.
Heck reportedly tested positive, but he is vaccinated and could return as soon as Thursday with consecutive negative tests, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports.
The team does have options at right tackle.
Veteran Marcus Cannon was recently activated from the physically unable to perform list and started practicing last week. They could also shift Tytus Howard, who's moved to left guard, back to right tackle where he's played the first two seasons of his NFL career.
It's not clear how ready Cannon is to play. When head coach David Culley spoke about him Monday morning, he seemed to not want to rush back the 33-year-old veteran too early.
The Texans have serious questions at tackle, considering two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil spent a couple of weeks on the COVID-19 list after testing positive.
Culley has said Tunsil's conditioning since returning back from the COVID-19 list has been an issue, but he expect him to be ready to play in Sunday's season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium.
Brandon Scott manages digital content for SportsRadio 610. Follow him on Twitter @brandonkscott.
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