Duane Brown Reportedly Ends Contract Holdout, Returns to Texans

Duane Brown reportedly returned to the Houston Texans on Monday morning, ending the offensive tackle's holdout that dated back to early in the offseason. 

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reported Brown arrived at NRG Stadium on Monday, and NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, citing a source, reported Brown ended his holdout. Rapoport tweeted "Brown is ready for practice. Would also be healthy if the team decided to trade him."

This comes after McClain reported in July that Brown missed mandatory minicamp and the offseason program due to an undisclosed contract issue. The Texans placed him on the reserve/did not report list at the time, although general manager Rick Smith didn't seem ready to negotiate.

"I have talked to Duane," Smith said, per McClain. "There is no contract dispute. Duane is under contract for two more years. That's our position."

McClain said then Brown was expected back for the Texans' season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that did not happen.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on the situation following Houston's loss to the Jaguars in that game and noted the two sides hadn't even communicated since he started his training camp holdout.

According to Florio, Brown was previously under contract for $9.4 million in 2017 and $9.75 million in 2018.

Brown has been a critical part of the Texans' offensive front since they used a first-round pick on him in 2008. The Virginia Tech product is a three-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro in 2012.

Houston needs its offensive line playing at its best, considering the development of rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson figures to be a critical tipping point for the franchise. Brown will now look to help his teammates keep Watson upright as the Texans challenge for a third straight AFC South title.

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