Getty Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III
Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III barely contributed to the team’s success during the 2023 NFL season. While he played 18 games (playoffs included), the Alabama alum finished with only 19 receptions for 202 yards.
The victory of playing football after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia goes beyond those numbers. Overcoming that ordeal inspired the Pro Football Writers of America to make him the 2024 George Halas Award winner.
According to the May 28 press release on the Texans’ website, “The Halas Award is given to an NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed.” Quarterback Joe Flacco, who played for the Cleveland Browns last year, and the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa were the other finalists.
The diagnosis halted the promising career of a wideout who tallied 96 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns in his final season with the Crimson Tide. However, a year after skipping what should have been his rookie season, Metchie became the second Texans player to win the award after David Quessenberry (2017).
Could John Metchie III be on His Way out of Houston?
GettyJohn Metchie III of the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 26, 2023, in Houston, Texas.
Metchie’s first NFL campaign is an inspirational side story to a triumphant Texans season. His return could be an emotional spark for the team’s monumental transformation from last-place finishers to playoff contenders.
But a different challenge awaits the Texans, now considered a powerhouse squad, as they navigate the seventh-toughest regular season schedule, per analyst Warren Sharp’s May 26 article.
Unfortunately, some NFL-related content creators on YouTube paint a bleak future for the two-time Jon Cornish Trophy winner. “If he has drop issues and if this team can’t trust him to go out there and make plays and make catches, then it’s going to be really hard for him to find a role in this roster and find out where he fits on this Texans team,” Jeremy Beadling said in the May 27 episode of Texans Today by Chat Sports.
John Metchie III is in an uphill battle against a stacked Texans wide receiver corps. The 2023 AFC South champions rewarded Nico Collins with a three-year, $72.75 million contract extension. Tank Dell averaged 64.45 yards per game and 14.5 yards per catch in 11 games last year.
Stefon Diggs’ arrival takes one available spot on the depth chart away. Therefore, Metchie will compete for a place in the 53-man active roster with Robert Woods, Noah Brown, Ben Skowronek, Steven Sims, Johnny Johnson III, Jared Wayne, and Jadon Janke.
Likewise, Metchie’s contract could be a blessing or a curse. While he’s set to earn a $2.2 million base salary this year, cutting him amounts to an affordable $2.32 million dead cap.
John Metchie III Gives Back to the Community via a Football Camp
GettyJohn Metchie III at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine
As Metchie battles for a place on the Texans’ roster come training camp, he’s giving young athletes an avenue to succeed through his football camp.
In his March 6 Instagram post, Metchie shared that his one-day camp will be on July 13 at Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center High School from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time. Boys and girls aged 6 to 16 are welcome to attend.
The camp’s description on the official registration page reads, “During camp, Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III and our coaches will instruct your camper through various skill enhancing drills through a positive and competitive environment. It is our goal to build upon your athletes’ prior knowledge regardless of their skill level.”