Between 2012 and 2016, Derek Newton started 56 straight games at right tackle for the Texans. He didn't miss a contest between 2013 and 2015.
But in Week 7 at Denver he was lost for the 2016 season with an injury to both knees. Newton's now back on the road to recovery, and left tackle Duane Brown explained how things are going for his friend and teammate.
"I talk to him quite a bit," Brown said. "Derek is doing great. He is in great spirits."
Brown said that while Newton's injury is a "unique" one that "you don't see very often in this League", the right tackle is aggressively attacking the rehab process.
"He's doing everything he can to get back as quickly as possible," Brown said. "He's got a long road ahead of him, but I'm just doing all I can to keep him confident in his return, give him my story from what I went through last year and just doing what I can. You know, he has a great mindset going into it. I know he is a hard worker, so I know he'll be okay."
Brown suffered a quadriceps injury in Week 17 of 2015, and didn't return to the lineup until Week 5 of 2016. He started and played every snap from Week 6 through Week 16, and his presence in the lineup was a stabilizing force for the run game.
