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When the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Houston Texans on Sunday to open the 2017 NFL season, the Texans could be without their starting left tackle Duane Brown, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
#Texans LT Duane Brown, a holdout since the spring, has not shown up at the facility. HOU practices soon. Brown is expected out W1 at least.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 6, 2017
As Rapoport mentions, Brown has been holding out for a new deal all offseason and at this point he’s not expected to play on Sunday against the Jaguars. The Texans offensive line, while not the same level of concern as the Jaguars offensive line, has been an issue during the preseason.
Without the three-time Pro Bowler, Houston has been starting veteran Kendall Lamm and if Brown is still a no show for Sunday, it helps the Jaguars out in a big way. Browns has stated he will play football in 2017, though he has yet to specify when exactly that will be.
It’s still possible Brown shows up on Wednesday and starts for the Texans on Sunday, but as it stands right now Houston is set to be without their starting left tackle.