The Texans had a light indoor practice on Friday, one day before they leave for a road trip against the Washington Redskins.
Defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, who missed practice and was in a boot on Thursday because of an ankle injury, was back on the field Friday. He will be a game-time decision on Sunday.
"He's feeling better," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "He did what we did today, but we weren't very physical today."
Cornerback Antwaun Molden, who also has an ankle injury, will be a game-time decision as well. Molden was limited in practice all week after missing the Texans' season opener.
"We've got to make sure we've got him for the long haul, so we'll have to see," Kubiak said.
Opportunity knocksIf Okoye can't play, rookie Earl Mitchell will get a chance to replace him. Kubiak said he feels good about the idea of the third-round pick from Arizona seeing more time on the field.
"Earl has done some good stuff," Kubiak said. "He hasn't played extensively like Amobi played last week. We will have to move some guys around. He's a young kid and showing some promise. If he gets an opportunity, then we'll see."
Good companyWith 39.5 total sacks from 2006-09, defensive end Mario Williams had more sacks in his first four seasons than Kevin Greene, Chris Doleman and Michael Strahan. Those three players rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in NFL history in career sacks.
Bruce Smith, who has a league-record 200 career sacks, recorded 44.5 in his first four years. Reggie White, who ranks second all-time with 198 sacks, had an astounding 70.0 in his first four seasons.
"I don't pay attention to too much talk," Williams said after being asked about those numbers. "I don't watch TV or (listen to) the radio and all that stuff, but to be compared to the greats like that is great. It's a huge compliment, and I'm thankful for it. I hope that I could be a part of it."
Williams had one sack and five quarterback hits last week against Peyton Manning and the Colts.
Quotable"Definitely. Watching Reggie White and seeing him play, he was definitely a powerful player. Fortunately, I grew to be pretty big. So I kind of look at that and just try to play ball."
- DE Mario Williams (6-6, 290), on if there was a player he wanted to emulate when he was growing up
