Texans outside linebacker Duke Ejiofor tore his ACL at practice this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). It’s a season-ender – and familiar territory – for the 2018 sixth-round pick. 
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Last year, Elijofor saw his season erased by an Achilles tear. Before that, he showed promise in 12 games as a rookie, registering nine tackles, a sack, two pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. The Texans were looking forward to seeing what the Wake Forest product could do in a full, healthy season. Instead, they’ll have to wait until 2021 – his final year under contract – to see if he can put it all together.
Without Ejiofor on the roster, the Texans may look for outside reinforcements. Before the injury, he was slated to backstop Whitney Mercilus at strongside linebacker. On the plus side, they found a promising replacement for Eddie Vanderdoes by picking up former Raiders second-round pick P.J. Hall earlier this month. They also met with Brandon Marshall recently, though he would serve as an inside linebacker rather than an edge rusher.
That really is unfortunate, especially after that Achilles tear. Ejiofor has an interesting size-speed combination, and Texans have needed some EDGE pressure since Clowney left and their regular providers there keep suffering injuries. I hope he recovers well so we can see what he can do. Until then, I suppose Brennan Scarlett will get an opportunity?