The Texans are coming home.
After a week that saw the team fly from Houston to New Orleans, then on to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the Texans bussed back to Houston on Wednesday afternoon.
Houston was originally scheduled to play the Cowboys at NRG Stadium on Thursday night, but Hurricane Harvey and the destruction in its wake forced the Texans to fly north to Dallas after their preseason matchup against the Saints. They practiced at the Cowboys' facility in Frisco on Monday and Tuesday, and were preparing to play at AT&T Stadium against Dallas on Thursday night.
But the NFL cancelled that contest, and the Texans left Plano for Houston on Wednesday.
"Houston is hurting," General manager Rick Smith said. "The entire region is hurting. We've got several members of our travel party, our coaches, our players, staff members whose families have been evacuated. There's just so much devastation in the city, in the region, that we want to be a part of that recovery process."
Defensive end J.J. Watt, who has spearheaded an online fundraising campaign over the past few days, echoed the desire to return home and help with the recovery process.
"I think it's the right decision," Watt said. "Everybody here is most concerned about their families, friends, the City of Houston. So I think it's extremely important that we get home as quickly as we possibly can."
Watt, who's helped raise over $6 million for the recovery, said he plans on getting water, food and supplies distributed as early as Sunday.
The Texans open the regular season at NRG Stadium a week from Sunday against the Jaguars.
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