Houston Texans’ Dylan Horton’s remission becomes ‘inspiration’ at OTAs

Houston Texans defensive end Dylan Horton announced his latest treatment amid his remission from stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma on May 16. He shared his announcement on Instagram while ringing the bell at an undisclosed hospital.

Horton’s rookie season ended abruptly in December due to a non-football-related illness. Five months later, coach DeMeco Ryans was inspired by Horton’s story from the first meeting at the start of OTAs.

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“For me, seeing him ring the bell – it brings tears to your eyes just knowing a young man whose career is ahead of him – he just keeps playing football and before you know it, it changes,” Ryans said. .

“It’s for all of us, life changes in an instant, at any given moment, but it’s about how you react, and Dylan reacted tremendously. His attitude has been off the charts throughout this process, and I think a lot of us have a lot to learn from Dylan Horton.”

Horton played 10 games before his freshman year suddenly ended. He recorded 13 tackles, two quarterback hits and one tackle for loss. Horton played 175 defensive snaps, establishing himself as a trusted member of Houston’s defensive line and an important contributor on special teams.

The Texans drafted Horton in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. Horton has emerged as a top prospect for Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio after an impressive college career at TCU.

“I know many of us have people who are battling cancer, who have experienced it, or who have experienced it themselves,” Ryans said. “But I think Dylan is such an inspiration to know that whatever you’re fighting, whatever you’re going through, if you attack it with a positive attitude and the right mindset, you too can overcome it.

“I was happy to have him in our team meeting this morning and highlight him. All the guys were applauding him, and you see the support he has, all of them. All the guys that were around praying for him, pulling for him, encouraging him along the way. “That’s life.”

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Follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24.