Texans WR John Metchie III feels '110%' after leukemia caused him to doubt if he'd play again
It has been a week since Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III was cleared to participate in training camp, a milestone that came a year after he was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.
After practice Thursday, he made his first public comments since the diagnosis. He told reporters that he feels better than ever, but the development came after a difficult journey.
"I feel like at the beginning stages, of course you don't know what's going to happen. You don't know what the future has in store for you," he said Thursday. "You of course hope that you can come and play football, but I would probably say probably the beginning stages, there might have been some doubt, but I've had a strong faith. I had a strong faith then, and I have a strong faith now."
Now that he has recovered, Metchie said he feels like he "beat the toughest battle."
“I feel 110 percent, actually,” he added. “I feel better now than I ever did in college, and I feel better than I was before I got diagnosed.”
The 23-year-old was selected with the Texans' second-round pick in the 2022 draft. Metchie said the cancer, which caused him to miss his entire rookie season, was discovered after he experienced unusual headaches and felt like he had a cold.
In addition to doubting whether he would play again, Metchie said it was difficult to be away from his family during treatment. He remained in Houston after the diagnosis, while his family stayed in Canada, where Metchie grew up.
“There are a lot of challenging things that challenge you spiritually, mentally, physically,” he said. “But the most challenging part was just dealing with it with my family being in a different country for the most part. They would come down, but most of my loved ones were in a different country.”
The Texans hope Metchie can play a big role in an offense that will feature second overall pick C.J. Stroud at quarterback. Metchie has impressed early in camp by making some eye-popping plays.
Can’t catch him 🥋 pic.twitter.com/XYefjlDaT6
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) July 30, 2023
After Metchie reflected on taking part in training camp, head coach DeMeco Ryans praised his resilience.
“John Metchie’s demeanor, it hasn’t changed," Ryans said Thursday. “He’s the same. He’s consistent. He’s positive. He’s a hard worker. Whenever he’s out here at practice, he’s giving everything he has. You’ll see him after practice doing extra just trying to perfect his craft, so excited with his mentality and his work ethic. It’s cool to see.”
Metchie had 96 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior at Alabama in 2021. If he plays in the Texans' preseason matchup with the New England Patriots on Aug. 10, it will mark his first game in two years.
