Texans reserve wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton injured his right knee Tuesday morning during a non-contact drill while running a route at an
organized team activity and will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair the damage, according to league sources.
Hamilton didn't tear his anterior cruciate ligament and is expected to make a full recovery at some point this year.
Hamilton's leg gave out while he tried to cut during a route, and he grabbed his right knee before he was carted off the practice field after his teammates came over to console him.
It appeared to be a serious injury immediately for Hamilton, who signed a one-year, $1.06 million contract in March.
Hamilton missed the entire season last year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered while training away from the Denver Broncos' facility. The former fourth-round draft pick from Penn State was nearly traded to the San Francisco 49ers last year before he got hurt.
Hamilton, 27, has caught 81 career passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns in 46 career games. He caught 23 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns in 2020 before suffering the injury in 2021.
Hamilton is the Nittany Lions’ all-time receptions leader with 214 catches and finished third all-time with 2,842 receiving yards. He was a four-time academic All-Big Ten Conference selection. He was a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection.
Meanwhile, veteran starting center Justin Britt injured his left ankle during drills when he got stepped on. After taking off his cleats, Britt was able to walk off the field under his own power without much of a limp.
"One was a non-contact injury. The other, you know when you have 22 bodies out there every once in a while you step on someone," Texans head coach Lovie Smith said. "Hopefully, it's nothing serious for either one."
Aaron Wilson is a Pro Football Network reporter and analyst and a contributor to Sports Talk 790.