The Houston Texans began their first session of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Wednesday. The first day of OTAs is always an exciting time as fans get to see clips of new and returning players practicing together. However, with fan excitement comes some worry when the players who weren't at the first day of OTAs are revealed.
Houston had the right players miss the first day. According to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN, Dalton Schultz, Brevin Jordan, Dameon Pierce, Joe Mixon, Christian Harris, Justin Watson, Danielle Hunter, and C.J Gardner-Johnson were all absent. While there are a few big names on that list, Gardner-Johnson is the most notable.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Already Off to a Questionable Start After Missing the First Day of OTAs
The Texans acquired Gardner-Johnson via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. While OTAs aren't mandatory, showing up is important for newly acquired players. This is especially true for a player like Gardner-Johnson, whose reputation precedes him.
Over his six-year career, the 27-year-old has made a name for himself with his trash talk to opponents. Although it seems like he's beloved by his teammates, not showing up to the first day of OTAs could buck that trend quickly.
That said, there could be multiple reasons why a player doesn't show up for OTAs, including injury, contract disputes, or family matters. While the first two are out of the question for Gardner-Johnson, he could have been dealing with family matters. Fans will just have to wait until he returns to see if he gives an explanation for why he was absent.
As for the rest of the absent players, Texans fans shouldn't be too concerned, as most don't have a reputation like Gardner-Johnson. Houston's first session of OTAs runs until May 30, so it will be interesting to see if the 27-year-old safety participates in the next two days.