Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil rejoined his teammates at NRG Stadium for meetings Monday while remaining sidelined from practice and on the reserve-COVID-19 list.
Tunsil attended the Texans' walkthrough practice at NRG Stadium while wearing a mask.
Tunsil is expected to be activated soon.
Tunsil tested positive prior to the Texans' preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers. He didn't experience serious symptoms, according to a league source.
"He is not back, he is here, but he is not ready to practice," Texans coach David Culley said of Tunsil.
Culley said just four or five players aren't vaccinated.
"I feel real comfortable," Culley said. "It's been really high (vaccination rate). We only have four or five guys that have not done it yet. Between now and whenever, they could do it. Obviously, there's a waiting period to do it. We feel good about it."
The pending return of arguably the Texans' best player regardless of position was especially welcome to the player whose blindside he'll protect: quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
Taylor stayed in touch with Tunsil via text last week.
"It was good to see him come into the locker room, just his presence amongst the guys means a lot," Taylor said. "I know the offensive linemen and just the rest of the team have the utmost respect for him, and just happy to have him back. I know he's eager to get back on the field, and we need him to be ready for Week One and excited to see him back in the huddle.”
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128.
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