Texans safety Reed Blankenship suffers concussion vs. Jaguars in London
Blankenship left Sunday's game in London in the second quarter with a concussion, and backup M.J. Stewart took over at safety.
Why Reed Blankenship is trending
Texans safety Reed Blankenship suffered a concussion Sunday in the second quarter of Houston's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, and that is why his name is all over search right now. He came out of the game and did not return.
What is not known yet is when he comes back. There is no return timeline out there. The Texans have not put a number on it, so anyone telling you a date is guessing. He goes through the concussion protocol like anyone else, and the team updates his status as it has one.
How it happened
The play that ended Blankenship's day was not a hit people are talking about. It came on Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten's 27-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Blankenship missed a tackle attempt as Tuten broke away and went in for the score. He was injured on the play and did not finish the game.
Houston signed Blankenship to a three-year, $24 million deal in free agency this offseason, and he started every game this season up to this one. He has been inconsistent in coverage, allowing a 76% completion rate on throws into his area this year, so this was not a flawless season getting interrupted. It was an up-and-down one.
Who plays safety now
M.J. Stewart is Blankenship's backup and the next man up at safety for Houston. With Blankenship out of the concussion protocol until he clears it, Stewart is the one taking those reps.
Houston had a second scare at the same position group. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was also evaluated for a concussion on Sunday, but he passed the evaluation and went back into the game in the second half. Two different outcomes on the same day, one guy cleared and back on the field, the other one did not.
What happens next
There is nothing dramatic left to report here beyond the protocol itself. Blankenship has to clear the concussion steps before anyone in Houston says he is good to go, and nobody outside the building gets to set that date. Until then, M.J. Stewart is the answer at that spot for the Texans, and Reed Blankenship's name keeps trending because fans want to know the same thing everyone always wants to know after a concussion news: how long, and he is not cleared to say yet.
Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.