Jadeveon Clowney was back out on the field during Thursday's training camp practice.
It was a good sign for the outside linebacker currently listed as a starter on the Texans unofficial depth chart. Clowney had not suited up for practice since last Saturday.
"It felt great. It felt good to get back out there again, being back out there with my teammates."
Clowney is "just taking one day at a time" but feels optimistic about playing in the Texans preseason opener at Arizona. It would be his first NFL game, an experience he's waited for his entire life.
"Oh, I'm very excited," Clowney said. "It's something I've been dreaming about, something I've been waiting for for a long time. Now it's coming up fast and I'm just looking forward to it."
While Clowney feels ready to play, the final decision won't be his to make. Head coach Bill O'Brien remained tight-lipped about the decision to start or even play Clowney against the Cardinals during his post-practice press conference.
"I don't know," O'Brien said Thursday. "We'll find out when the game starts."
The Texans No. 1 draft pick left practice early on Saturday after being shaken up on a play. O'Brien has limited Clowney's reps in practice in order to give him time to fully recover and prevent re-injury following offseason sports hernia.
Players will have a walk-through practice on Friday before departing for Arizona. The Texans will kick off their 2014 preseason against the Cardinals this Saturday at 7:30 pm.
