HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- John Metchie III found out he would make his NFL debut against the Colts on Sunday afternoon when spoke to Texans wide receivers coach Ben McDaniel the night before.
“I was always expecting to be active,” Metchie said after Sunday’s 31-20 loss. “I wasn’t thinking that I wasn’t going to be, so it was just confirmation, and it was just continue to be ready.”
Metchie waited a long time to play in his first NFL game. A hamstring injury kept him off the field last week in Baltimore, and this came after the 44th pick of the 2022 draft missed his entire rookie season after being diagnosed with Leukemia.
“It was a great feeling to finally be out there and just be back on the field playing a game I love.”
Metchie was on the field for less than 20 percent of the Texans’ 79 offensive snaps on Sunday, and he caught his only target for a 17-yard reception in the fourth quarter, his first since the 2021 SEC Championship against Georgia.
“They definitely wanted me to get my feet wet and work and my way in there,” Metchie said. “Definitely just got to show up to work and continue to show up so I can contribute to this team in a meaningful way and help us win.”
One of the highlights of Metchie’s day was that his family was able to fly in from Maryland to watch him play, and he called seeing them before leaving for NRG Stadium on Sunday morning was “my moment, too”.
“I know for them, it's probably a bigger moment to them than it is for me to see me back on the field, so I'm glad that they were able to fly down here and see that.”