T.J. Yates and Charles James II suffered season-ending injuries within one week of each other during the month of December. Both underwent surgery: Yates for his knee, while James underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his foot.
Now, both are teaming up in rehab.
It's no coincidence. Yates and James have a lot in common. The duo developed a close bond when they both returned to the Texans organization in October for a second time, hoping to contribute wherever they could.
"I actually have grown closer to T.J. when he got here just because we came in on a similar situation," James said on Texans Radio on Dec. 22. "When he came in and was asked to play quarterback and when I first got back, I played special teams, but I was asked to play defense. We kind of bonded towards that because we didn't know where we were going to play. He was just on the couch and I was just basically on the practice squad for the Baltimore Ravens so it was a similar thing. We talked all the time and grew from that."
Now the two will have even more time together as they work their way back from surgery. James said he considers Yates not only a teammate, but "a good friend" too and was devastated for Yates when he tore his ACL at Indianapolis on Dec. 20.
"He's a guy that has a great attitude, similar like mine," James said. "It's another reason why we bonded. We just enjoy life, enjoy the game, love to play the game. He's a guy that comes every day, works hard, and studies his film."
Yates estimated the recovery process to take about six months. James expects to be in a walking boot for at least four weeks after he was off crutches. Both hope to be ready by training camp later this summer.
WR DeAndre Hopkins--from Clemson to the Texans--is featured here in photos.
